History of sexual abuse alleged against ex-school head

A PSYCHOLOGIST who counselled a teenage girl who is accusing former Concordia College principal Ben Awoseb of sexual molestation is convinced that the girl has been telling the truth about the alleged incident in which Awoseb is claimed to have raped her, it was testified in the Windhoek Regional Court yesterday.

Awoseb was already under official investigation for other alleged incidents of sexual abuse when the Ministry of Education received a report about an incident in which he is alleged to have sexually molested a 17-year-old pupil of Concordia College on March 17 2005, Magistrate Sarel Jacobs heard from psychologist Dr Susanchen Fourie when she testified in Awoseb’s trial yesterday. The trial started on Monday with Awoseb pleading not guilty to charges of abduction, rape and attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice.The prosecution in the trial is charging that Awoseb (48) abducted a 17-year-old girl from Concordia College on March 17 2005 with the purpose of having sexual intercourse with her, and that he then raped her in his car in the Ausspannplatz area in Windhoek by inserting a finger into her private parts.He is also accused of attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice on the day when he was arrested, April 12 2005, by allegedly requesting the girl to withdraw the charges against him and to state that the charges were false.Awoseb is denying everything.Dr Fourie, a registered psychologist who is working in the Ministry of Education, told Magistrate Jacobs that on March 14 2005 she received instructions from her seniors in the Ministry to assist with the investigation of allegations of sexual abuse of teachers and pupils and the abuse of Government property that were levelled against Awoseb.Dr Fourie said she started with the investigation on March 15 2005.By the evening of March 17, her report on the matters was nearing its final stages, she said.By then, she had interviewed two school secretaries, three teachers and three school pupils, she said.She had also interviewed the acting principal of a school at Outjo where Awoseb had worked previously, and was informed about similar incidents involving Awoseb that had taken place at that school in the past, Dr Fourie said.On the morning of March 18 2005 she received a phone call from Concordia College, and was informed that another incident involving Awoseb and the girl who is now the complainant in the case against him had taken place.She was provided with a short report on the incident that was written by the girl herself, and she included this in the report that she completed on March 18, Dr Fourie said.In the report written by the girl, she related that she had been taken away from school by Awoseb, that he stopped his car at Ausspannplatz and proceeded to touch her indecently, that he bought her some food after that, and that she later on reported these events to a friend of hers, who at first did not want to believe her, Dr Fourie testified.She first saw the girl on April 8 2005, and from then up to the end of 2006 she spent some 40 hours with the girl, providing psychological therapy to her, Dr Fourie said.She told the Magistrate that the girl showed a severe reaction to what had happened, showing very strong symptoms of depression and a high level of anxiety.Her emotional state was also compounded by her reaction to claimed emotional blackmail from Awoseb, according to Dr Fourie.She told the court that the girl reported to her that Awoseb had phoned her, “which made her feel terribly guilty” because she was made to feel that it would be her fault if Awoseb was to lose his family as a result of the charges laid against him.Considering what she had learned about the girl over the almost two years that she worked with her, as well as similar incidents at the school at Outjo where Awoseb had previously taught, “it was my professional opinion that she spoke the whole truth”, Dr Fourie said.She however never set out to investigate whether the allegations made by the girl were true or not, Dr Fourie acknowledged under cross-examination from defence counsel Hennie Barnard.Her duty was not to investigate the alleged incident, but rather to act as a support person to help the girl deal with the experience she had gone through, she said.The girl, who testified in the trial on Monday, made three witness statements to the Police, the court has heard.In the first of these, she did not state that Awoseb had put a finger into her private parts, but she made this claim some six months later in her second and thereafter also her third statements.According to Dr Fourie, anyone in this position would not talk about sexual experiences easily.She added that research has shown that about half of sexual abuse victims never report the abuse, and that when this is then reported, the victims often try to minimise the abuse.It could be considered normal or very common behaviour for the girl not to have made a full disclosure of the details of the alleged incident in her first reports of it, Dr Fourie said.The trial is scheduled to continue on May 29, when State Prosecutor Brownwell Uirab is expected to call the prosecution’s next witness to the witness stand.Awoseb remains free on bail.The trial started on Monday with Awoseb pleading not guilty to charges of abduction, rape and attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice.The prosecution in the trial is charging that Awoseb (48) abducted a 17-year-old girl from Concordia College on March 17 2005 with the purpose of having sexual intercourse with her, and that he then raped her in his car in the Ausspannplatz area in Windhoek by inserting a finger into her private parts.He is also accused of attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice on the day when he was arrested, April 12 2005, by allegedly requesting the girl to withdraw the charges against him and to state that the charges were false.Awoseb is denying everything.Dr Fourie, a registered psychologist who is working in the Ministry of Education, told Magistrate Jacobs that on March 14 2005 she received instructions from her seniors in the Ministry to assist with the investigation of allegations of sexual abuse of teachers and pupils and the abuse of Government property that were levelled against Awoseb.Dr Fourie said she started with the investigation on March 15 2005.By the evening of March 17, her report on the matters was nearing its final stages, she said.By then, she had interviewed two school secretaries, three teachers and three school pupils, she said.She had also interviewed the acting principal of a school at Outjo where Awoseb had worked previously, and was informed about similar incidents involving Awoseb that had taken place at that school in the past, Dr Fourie said.On the morning of March 18 2005 she received a phone call from Concordia College, and was informed that another incident involving Awoseb and the girl who is now the complainant in the case against him had taken place.She was provided with a short report on the incident that was written by the girl herself, and she included this in the report that she completed on March 18, Dr Fourie said.In the report written by the girl, she related that she had been taken away from school by Awoseb, that he stopped his car at Ausspannplatz and proceeded to touch her indecently, that he bought her some food after that, and that she later on reported these events to a friend of hers, who at first did not want to believe her, Dr Fourie testified.She first saw the girl on April 8 2005, and from then up to the end of 2006 she spent some 40 hours with the girl, providing psychological therapy to her, Dr Fourie said.She told the Magistrate that the girl showed a severe reaction to what had happened, showing very strong symptoms of depression and a high level of anxiety.Her emotional state was also compounded by her reaction to claimed emotional blackmail from Awoseb, according to Dr Fourie.She told the court that the girl reported to her that Awoseb had phoned her, “which made her feel terribly guilty” because she was made to feel that it would be her fault if Awoseb was to lose his family as a result of the charges laid against him.Considering what she had learned about the girl over the almost two years that she worked with her, as well as similar incidents at the school at Outjo where Awoseb had previously taught, “it was my professional opinion that she spoke the whole truth”, Dr Fourie said.She however never set out to investigate whether the allegations made by the girl were true or not, Dr Fourie acknowledged under cross-examination from defence counsel Hennie Barnard.Her duty was not to investigate the alleged incident, but rather to act as a support person to help the girl deal with the experience she had gone through, she said.The girl, who testified in the trial on Monday, made three witness statements to the Police, the court has heard.In the first of these, she did not state that Awoseb had put a finger into her private parts, but she made this claim some six months later in her second and thereafter also her third statements.According to Dr Fourie, anyone in this position would not talk about sexual experiences easily.She added that research has shown that about half of sexual abuse victims never report the abuse, and that when this is then reported, the victims often try to minimise the abuse.It could be considered normal or very common behaviour for the girl not to have made a full disclosure of the details of the alleged incident in her first reports of it, Dr Fourie said.The trial is scheduled to continue on May 29, when State Prosecutor Brownwell Uirab is expected to call the prosecution’s next witness to the witness stand.Awoseb remains free on bail.