Pretoria - Dros rape accused Nicholas Ninow will be evaluated by three clinical psychologists during his stay at the Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital in Pretoria.
Ninow is accused of raping a 7-year-old girl in the toilet at the Dros restaurant in Silverton. Eyewitnesses said he had been eyeing the little girl in the playing area and waited for her to go to the toilet.
He is alleged to have grabbed her and taken her to the men’s toilet, where the crime is said to have taken place.
The girl was reportedly bleeding when the police arrived.
Defence attorney Riaan du Plessis indicated to the court on Ninow's third appearance in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, that even though a panel of two psychiatrists or psychologists would normally be tasked as a panel to evaluate an accused person, they wanted to request a third doctor to be added for Ninow.
Du Plessis's reasoning for the request was due to the seriousness and the complexity of the case against his client.
According to him, Ninow has been battling with substance abuse from the age of 14.
He added that to make matters even more complex, Ninow had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder as of 2013, with incidents of self-harm and suicide attempts due to his severe depression.
"The application for an additional psychiatrist is taking into consideration that it is necessary for there to be additional evaluation to delve deeper into the psyche of the accused person."
Du Plessis's request came after the State indicated that Ninow be referred to Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital in Pretoria West for evaluation.
State prosecutor, Sanet Jacobson, indicated that although a there were currently no beds available for Ninow at Weskoppies, they had been informed one would be provided by November 28.
Also if one became available before then, Ninow's representatives would be duly notified.
However, Jacobson insisted that there was no need for an additional psychiatrist to be appointed as that would unnecessarily delay proceedings.
The magistrate granted the request.
The matter was postponed to November 28 for allocation and referral to Weskoppies Hospital.