Cancer patient’s rape injuries unclear

Pic 069: National Hospital in Bloemfontein . Picture. Health-e News Service

Pic 069: National Hospital in Bloemfontein . Picture. Health-e News Service

Published Feb 6, 2013

Share

Bloemfontein - The rape injuries of a terminally ill Free State woman were difficult to identify and describe, the Bloemfontein High Court heard on Wednesday.

The court was hearing evidence in the trial of a Free State male nurse Kodisang Moema, 34, on two counts of rape. He has plead not guilty.

Clinical-pathologist Adri Krieger said the 50-year-old cancer patient had been paralysed in the lower part of her body for about a year when the alleged rape took place. She saw the woman only about 50 hours after the rape.

Krieger said it was not certain what kind of injuries were present on the woman's genitals.

Although she had worked with about 2000 potential rape victims in the past, this was her first case involving a bedridden cancer patient with a possible history of rape.

Krieger testified that the injuries she found might not be positively rape-related, however they did not exclude a possible rape.

Asked, under cross examination by defence counsel Pieter Nel, whether the injuries were cancer-related or penetration-related, such as during a rape attempt, she replied: “I do not know.”

Earlier, Krieger testified that the woman had told her that although she had no feeling in the lower part of her body, she knew what was happening on the night of the alleged rape, and had seen what was going on by the light in a passage.

The court heard that the woman was calm during Krieger’s examination and was not under the influence of alcohol or medicine.

Moema was arrested after the woman, who has since died, alleged that she was raped at night in a ward at the National Hospital in Bloemfontein.

The woman's husband told the police the attack happened on October 15.

The patient could not identify a woman nurse who she claimed held her down during the rape.

Moema is out on bail.

The case was postponed to Friday. - Sapa

Related Topics: