George child abuse trial postponement angers parents
FAMILY and friends of some of the young girls who were allegedly raped and sexually abused by a George father are frustrated after the case was postponed yesterday. The man faces more than 3 000 charges relating to sex crimes against his 12-year-old daughter’s friends. “No court ruling or sentence will turn back the hands of time and undo what my daughter went through,” one mother said. “We just need this to come to a close so that we can start a new chapter in our lives,” the mother said after a brief court appearance by the 51-year-old man in the Thembalethu Regional Court. He was arrested in November last year after abuse claims came to light. According to police, the incidents allegedly happened between 2012 and last year during sleepovers at his house and involved children visiting his daughter. During the sleepovers he allegedly administered pills to the girls which resulted in them losing consciousness.
The accused then allegedly took naked photographs of the children, raped and sexually assaulted them. The charge sheet, which was recently finalised, revealed that the accused is facing 3 133 charges ranging from rape and sexual molestation to the creation and possession of child pornography. He was expected to plead yesterday, but the case was postponed to January 14 after the man’s lawyer failed to appear in court due to another case in Gauteng. “It is traumatic to muster up the courage to go to court and face the man accused of doing these horrible things to your child, just to hear the matter is being postponed yet again,” the child’s mother said. Another family member said it was not just the trauma on the day of the court appearance but the days leading up to it. Anti-child abuse group Green Hearts spokeswoman Yvette Wilschut said: “These delays are just unacceptable and should not be allowed. “Every time these families have to take off work, go to court, experience the trauma of seeing the alleged perpetrator and then find out it was all for nothing,” she said.
