Cape Town - A Cape Town-based international male model has appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court charged with grievous bodily harm after he allegedly assaulted his wife.
Keagan Carl Troskie, 30, who was on the books of 20 Model Management in Cape Town, is accused of holding and pushing his wife Lovisa Terling, closing her mouth and nose and trying to suffocate her. According to the charge sheet, he also dragged her by her hair, twisted her arm and tried to strangle her.
The first witness and long-time friend of Terling, Angela de Castro Silva testified and said: “Lovisa and I went to Rockpool Restaurant the evening of the incident.
"We then bumped into a local and proceeded to Lovisa’s apartment and had one more drink. I left her house the same evening and at 6.30 the next morning, she contacted me.”
De Castro Silva provided Facebook messages exchanged between herself and Terling. Messages from the complainant said: “Help, Please come here with police. I’m so scared. He hurt me last night" and "Can you come alone?”
Silva testified: “Lovisa had a spare phone next to her bed that she called me from because Keagan kept her phone that entire night. When I saw the message that said ‘Come alone’, I found that strange and still brought the police along.”
She said once at the flat with the police, she asked them to wait downstairs. She went upstairs and found Terling shaking and hysterical, wearing only a T-shirt and underwear.
“Keagan was behind her and I took Lovisa with me and ushered her to the police. Myself, Lovisa and two officers then went back upstairs to the apartment. When we returned, Keagan was not there any more.”
Troskie’s lawyer, Lucille van Reenen said: “My instruction from the accused was that he never saw the witness at all that morning.
"The sister (of Keagan) is going to testify about the phone call received and that she knew where Keagan was that morning.”
She said the defendant would be able to prove that he did not see the police that morning.
Troskie was also recently arrested and charged for another domestic assault against Anna Maria Insam on October 25. This is one year and seven months after his first alleged assault.
He was kept overnight for Insam’s case this year and released on bail. He is also expected to appear for trial on 11 December for further investigation at Cape Town Magistrate Court for both Terling and Insam's case.
Insam said: "Keagan misled me about the facts of his past and I have always stood against Gender Based Violence."
Cape Argus