Russian defiler to be sentenced today

ISAIAH MOREWAGAE
Staff Writer | Friday March 6, 2009 00:00

While dating the victim's mother Pastouchenko (39) is alleged to have had carnal knowledge of the girl on several occasions between 2005 and January 2008.

The sentencing was postponed to today because the prosecution did not have his previous convictions or fingerprints as he had previously refused to be fingerprinted.

Magistrate Gaseitsewe Tonoki convicted Pastounchenko after he found that all the seven prosecution witnesses, among them the girl's aunt, confirmed to the court having seen the young girl and her mother being picked-up by a Mercedes Benz car driven by a white man.

The complainant's aunt also said she knew the accused as the boyfriend of the complainant's mother adding that she also once went to the shops to buy some drinks with him.

He added that some of the witnesses, the doctor who examined the complainant, the police officer who investigated the case, the social worker, the neighbours and the two teachers also testified in court that the complainant told them that she would on some days go with the white man to the bush near Ledumadumane or Sebele where she would take a walk with the white man while her mother remained in the car drinking alcohol.

Magistrate Tonoki said the witness, who is the victim's neighbour, also testified that she asked the complainant to write whatever she was saying on a piece of paper and the contents of the letter read, 'the white man takes me to the bush, the white man touches me everywhere, the white man takes off my panty and puts his manhood into my private parts and thereafter he will cry'.

He said the complainant's mother, who was declared a hostile witness by the prosecution also declared to the court that the accused was her boyfriend and she knew his name as 'Ali', she also confirmed that they would go to the bush where she would remain in the car, drinking alcohol and the accused would take a walk with the complainant.

Magistrate Tonoki said the other witness, a nine-year-old who is a friend of the complainant's testified to the court that she and other children once went to the bush together with the complainant and the victim and when they got there the accused took a walk in the bush with the complainant and later on drove to the shops where he bought them yoghurt and sweets.

He said the witness further told the court that there was a time when the accused came to the complainant's place and wanted to go with her but they hid in the house and locked themselves inside until the accused went away.He said Doctor Naidoo, who examined the complainant, testified in court that the hymen of the complainant was ruptured but could not say when it was ruptured and said that he could not confirm nor deny that sexual molestation had taken place.

He said the child also testified that her neighbour once called her and questioned her about the white man.

The accused denied all the allegations.