Durban - THE rest of the trial involving a Verulam man accused of keeping his 13-year-old stepdaughter as a sex slave will continue on Monday - without him being present in court.
This was after the man, facing 56 counts of rape, sexual grooming, human trafficking sexual abuse and other sex-related charges, had refused to continue with being cross-examined and the remaining proceedings in his defence.
He also informed the court this week he would not be in court on judgment day.
There was drama on Wednesday when senior state advocate Cheryl Naidu had pressed the man for answers during cross-examination about the female underwear he allegedly wore and the pictures of himself wearing it.
He stormed out of the witness box and ignored the court orderlies and Judge Mohini Moodley’s instructions to return to the witness stand and respect the rules of the court.
He was given time to cool off and when he returned to court yesterday, he insisted he did not want to be part of the proceedings.
Judge Moodley then granted the man’s wish to exclude himself from the rest of the trial proceedings, including judgment.
His lawyer, Thiagraj Pillay, said he would continue to represent the man and closed the defence’s case.
Moodley ruled that the man must be brought to court and kept in the holding cells during proceedings, in case his lawyer needed to consult with him.
Closing arguments would be presented on Monday.
It is alleged that the 56-year-old man had groomed his stepdaughter as his sex slave after his wife’s death in 2013, when the girl was just 10 years old.
She was allegedly forced to perform sexual acts, some of which were captured on video and in photographs that were presented as evidence by the State.
The man had pleaded not guilty to all 56 counts and had claimed he had to choose between his own family and raising his stepdaughter after his wife’s death.
Daily News