Doctor: There was no hope for Anene

Cape Town - 131015 - Day seven of the trial of Johannes Kana, 21, who apears at the Swellendam High Court for the rape and murder of Aneen Booysen in Bredasdorp earlier this year. REPORTER: NATASHA BEZUIDENHOUT. PICTURE: CANDICE CHAPLIN

Cape Town - 131015 - Day seven of the trial of Johannes Kana, 21, who apears at the Swellendam High Court for the rape and murder of Aneen Booysen in Bredasdorp earlier this year. REPORTER: NATASHA BEZUIDENHOUT. PICTURE: CANDICE CHAPLIN

Published Oct 16, 2013

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Swellendam -

A doctor who examined Anene Booysen after she was admitted to the trauma unit of Otto du Plessis Hospital in Bredasdorp said that, apart from road crash victims, she had never seen anyone so seriously injured.

“It shocked me deeply,” said Dr Elizabeth de Kock, who was on duty on Saturday February 2, the day Anene, 17, was admitted.

“I didn’t think it was possible that someone could do that to anyone.”

She was testifying in the Swellendam Circuit Court in the trial of Johannes Kana, the man accused of raping and mutilating the Bredasdorp teenager in the early hours of February 2. Kana has pleaded guilty to rape but not to murder.

De Kock told the court that Anene, who was slightly built, arrived at the hospital by ambulance covered in blood, grass and sand.

She had “a very large tear” between her vagina and anus, and parts of her large and small intestine were protruding. The intestines were damaged and parts were missing.

De Kock said she washed them with salt water and pushed them back inside Anene – a painful procedure.

Describing Anene’s injury, De Kock said: “Because it was a tear I thought it was more likely that a blunt object, such as a hand with lots of force, could have caused it.”

Maria Marshall, for the State, asked whether a hand pushed up the vagina could cause such a large tear and damage. De Kock said it was possible.

“It’s not just pushing your hand up the vagina, but pushing it with incredible force.”

De Kock said she had also examined Kana a few days later, who was “mentally and emotionally stable” at the time.

“There were signs of scratch marks on his body. Two scratch marks inside his left arm and knees, the marks were about a week old.”

Asked during cross-examination by Pieter du Toit, for Kana, whether someone who weighed 49kg – as Kana does – could have caused such an injury with his hand, De Kock said: “Yes.”

The court also heard the evidence of Dr Liezel Taylor, a general surgeon at Tygerberg Hospital, where Anene was transferred later that Saturday.

Taylor said Anene had gone to the ICU: “When I walked inside, there was a smell like something had died.”

Anene was lying on the bed with bruises on her ears and eyes. When Taylor lifted the blanket from her body, she could see Anene’s intestines protruding.

 

“There was extensive damage to her intestines and I immediately realised that we wouldn’t save her life.”

During her last moments, Anene was in terrible pain.

 

“There was no hope and she died at 9pm,” Taylor said.

The trial continues on Wednesday.

Cape Argus

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