#JasonRohde's defence intends to call on his daughter

Jason Rohde’s defence team intends calling his eldest daughter to testify on his behalf, the Western Cape High Court heard. File picture: African News Agency (ANA)

Jason Rohde’s defence team intends calling his eldest daughter to testify on his behalf, the Western Cape High Court heard. File picture: African News Agency (ANA)

Published Nov 22, 2018

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Cape Town - Jason Rohde’s defence team intends calling his eldest daughter to testify on his behalf, the Western Cape High Court heard.

Advocate Graham van der Spuy told Judge Gayaat Salie-Hlophe they had already had a consultation with her, and were ready for her to testify.

He said Rohde’s twin daughters were flying down to Cape Town this weekend and he would consult with them on Monday.

They will be finishing their Grade 12 exams on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Van der Spuy indicated that he would be consulting them with the help of a psychologist.

“I don’t want to do something that will cause them duress, stress or any type of emotional trauma. The accused has approached us not to involve his daughters in this any way,” he said. 

The defence team asked the court not to proceed with sentencing proceedings as it was not ready.

Van der Spuy asked Judge Salie-Hlophe to grant him a two-week postponement before he proceeds to present in mitigation of sentence.

He said he still needed to get Rodhe’s children’s clinical psychology medical records, and that this was being contested by one of his daughters. Van der Spuy said Rohde wasn’t going to testify and he would depend on personal information that he testified to during trial.

The defence team also needed to consult with the daughters’ clinical psychologist, Dr Henk Eichhorn.

He expressed difficulties in consulting with Rohde at Pollsmoor Prison.

“It is not practical to present a case on a piecemeal basis, we need to do proper planning and presentation,” he said.

A researcher at the medical council who did her doctorate on femicide, Dr Naeema Abrahams, will also be testifying.

@Zoey_Dano

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