By Barry Bateman
A case of attempted murder has been opened against former Springbok hooker James Dalton following an alleged incident against his wife Andrea.
Dalton allegedly tried to drown her in a bath, smother her with a dress and threatened her.
The case was opened on Friday at the Boschkop police station, the precinct in which the couple share a home at Silver Lakes.
Lawyers representing Dalton and his wife are in negotiations following an attempt by the latter to obtain a restraining order against him on the day of the incident.
On Friday, Andrea tried to obtain the court order against Dalton preventing him from being closer than 500m to her. The court interdict was refused because the court wanted Dalton to be told about it first.
Specialised Security Services' Mike Bolhuis said Andrea was currently under his protection at a safe house because "she feels her life is in danger".
"I have instructions from Andrea and her attorneys to protect her. This stems from the incident where James allegedly wanted to drown her and beat her up," he said.
Police spokesperson Captain Lucas Sithole confirmed that a case of attempted murder had been opened by Andrea at the Boschkop police station.
Andrea's lawyer Barry Kotze said he was in negotiations with Dalton's lawyer Oeloff de Meyer. "We are still chatting over the phone to see if we can reach an amicable settlement.
"My instructions are to proceed with the case opened at Boschkop and a divorce," he said.
De Meyer said: "I am busy making suggestions to my client. It (the incident) is nothing serious," he said.