Johannesburg - A girl who survived an apparent satanic ritual was denied the opportunity to show her scars in the High Court sitting in the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court on Friday.
“May I please show them (the accused) what they have done to me?” the girl asked the court, reaching for her scarf.
Judge Geraldine Borchers denied her permission to do so, saying a photo would suffice.
She added: “I understand, but it wouldn't be proper.”
The girl asked to show the four accused her scars shortly after her cross-examination was completed.
On October 21, 2011, Kirsty Theologo and the girl, who was 14 at the time, were doused with petrol and set alight in an apparent satanic ritual. Theologo died in hospital. Her friend survived.
The court heard how the girl suffered burns to her neck, up to her chin, and her back. She was first treated in hospital and later taken to a rehabilitation centre. The burns were so severe she could not bath for nearly four months.
The four accused - Lindon Wagner, Robin Harwood, Harvey Isha, and Courtney Daniels - have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder, and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
In the morning the girl told the court that the morphine she took to ease the pain of her wounds made her forget certain details about what had happened.
For this reason she could have forgotten to mention certain facts about the attack in a statement to police.
“In hospital I was on morphine and I remember much more now than I did in hospital,” she said.
She was responding to defence lawyer Enrico Guarneri, who asked her where exactly his client, Courtney Daniels, was when the fire was started.
The trial continues. - Sapa