'You won't see the sun rise'
2006-06-06 23:55
Cape Town - A woman who was seven months pregnant was abducted at midnight from her parents' home in Hanover Park by a notorious Americans gang member, assaulted, shot at and threatened with "you will die before sunrise".
On Tuesday, Vonthea Maloy, 25, described her night of terror in detail in the Cape High Court when she testified as a State witness in the trial of Edmund "Oog" Petersen, 26.
Petersen pleaded not guilty to 20 charges, including three of murder, attempted murder, seven of robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping, assault and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Maloy testified that Petersen and two men arrived at her parents' home on July 6 2004 about midnight and knocked at her bedroom window.
Ten years previously, she had had a relationship with Petersen.
Went with him to avoid trouble
In July 2004, she was seven months pregnant with someone else's child.
When she opened the front door, Peterson pointed a gun her and ordered her to go with them.
He apparently "would have caused trouble in our house if I didn't go with them''.
Maloy said she was scared of this and went with Petersen to his parents' home while his two friends went elsewhere.
She had to fetch a plate of food for Petersen at his parents' home and they left with the food.
''When we walked down the steps, he broke the plate of food over my head.
"He also hit me with the firearm on my head, back, nose and mouth so that my dentures broke and my whole T-shirt was covered in blood.
''He ordered me to walk on and fired shots next to my head and side.
"While we were walking, he held the gun to my head and then fired two more shots between my legs.''
They went to the house of Petersen's brother-in-law in another street, where he threatened to shoot her dead if they encountered police in the street.
"At his brother-in-law's house he forced me into a bathroom, took his firearm apart and threw it in a bath full of water. Then he said I'd die before sunrise.''
Maloy said she was terrified, but Petersen never said why he had done this to her.
"Because I was scared the sun would rise (soon), I grabbed the bath of water and threw it over him, and then I fled.
Too scared to go to hospital
"I took off my bloodied clothes at home and went to the police station. I didn't go to hospital because I was scared he'd look for me there.''
The State claims Petersen committed the crimes as a gang member between May 1998 and June 2004 in Hanover Park and Tafelsig, Mitchell's Plain.
Advocate Quintin Appels is appearing for the State and advocate Denvor Filand for Petersen.
The case continues before Judge Dennis van Reenen.