By Jade Witten
Court Reporter
Two-year-old Randoline Fortune was raped until her insides ruptured, causing excessive bleeding and sending her tiny body into shock, the Parow Regional Court has heard.
Pathologist Dr Daphne Anthony testified yesterday that the cause of Randoline's death was multiple injuries, but that the "mechanism" of death was hypovolaemic shock arising from the child's body not being able to compensate for the amount of blood lost.
Anthony examined Randoline's body at about 8.30am on February 29 last year, a day after she was raped, allegedly by her family's neighbour, Angelo Petersen, in his Valhalla Park shack, and died.
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Anthony said there were signs of blunt trauma, including external and internal abrasions and bruises to Randoline's right lung, stomach, kidneys and vagina.
Randoline's vagina was scraped and chafed, and the vaginal channel was torn along the walls - which often occurred when there was forced sexual penetration, Anthony said.
She said Randoline was penetrated so deeply that her kidney punctured, causing severe internal bleeding. The type of injuries inflicted on Randoline, who weighed just 15kg, were "violent".
"She was a child who weighed less than 20kg, so it would have taken less than a few hours for her body to go into shock," she said.
The bruises on Randoline's body were "fresh" as they were red or purple in colour.
Randoline's grandfather, Phillip Fortune, who was the first to see her when Petersen brought her home, naked and wrapped in a towel, testified that her body was badly bruised.
Asked by magistrate Alexis Damon-Zloch how long after an attack abrasions and bruises would be visible, Anthony said abrasions could be seen immediately, while bruises took longer to show.
That Randoline was limp and moaning and her eyes were rolled back in her head when she was taken home indicated she was going into shock.
"After her injuries she would not have been able to move, walk or play," Anthony said.
Petersen said Randoline had been playing in his yard and dirtied herself. He said he had cleaned her and taken her home, thinking she was ill.
His lawyer, Safia Karriem, said the defence wanted to recall the initial investigating officer, Captain De-Mazhu Crosa, to put Petersen's version to him.
The case was postponed to December 3.
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This article was originally published on page 6 of Cape Argus on November 26, 2009
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