By Jade Witten
A Cape Town woman has relived in court the night she says her boyfriend raped her repeatedly, took photographs during her ordeal, and sent pictures of her naked to her friends.
The 24-year-old woman, who may not be named, said her long-term boyfriend had tied her up and blindfolded her before raping her on the night of February 18 last year in the flat they shared.
The 28-year-old boyfriend has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of rape and one of sexual assault.
The woman told the Cape Town Regional Court that, on the night, they had had an argument and she did not want to talk to her boyfriend. She said her boyfriend had insisted on talking to her, but she had refused as she was angry.
"He became persistent and said he didn't want to wait until later. So I told him to get out of my room. He did, but forcefully returned and climbed on top of me. I could smell a hint of alcohol on his breath."
She said the argument intensified. Her boyfriend had then reached for something at her bedside and tied her right hand. She tried to fight him off, without success.
"He said if I didn't listen to him he would make me listen."
He had then tied both her arms to her headboard and undressed her, the woman said.
He had used three scarves to strap her legs to each corner of the bottom end of her bed, blindfolded her and fastened a tie around her mouth. He had then raped her repeatedly, she said.
She said he had also taken 34 cellphone photographs and sent pictures to her family and friends.
Afterwards, he went to bed in his room and the woman went to the bathroom.
She said that on seeing that there were missed calls on her cellphone, she returned calls to friends who had received some of the pictures. Three friends came to her flat to assist her and waited with her for police, the woman said.
The police arrived at about 3am and broke down a barricaded door before arresting the accused.
In his plea explanation, the accused said he and the woman were in a relationship, the sex was consensual and that the woman "loves kinky sex".
"She is an agent for sex apparatus, handcuffs and vibrators," defence counsel Rueben Liddell submitted. The accused is out on bail and living in George.
Magistrate Michelle Adams adjourned the hearing until July 24 for cross-examination.