Teek faces child accusers

ONE of the children alleged to have been sexually molested by former Judge Pio Teek at his home near Windhoek on January 28 last year claimed in the High Court in Windhoek yesterday that Teek placed a finger on her private parts after she and a friend – dressed only in their panties – had had a swim in his pool.

When Teek did that, it hurt, said the 11-year-old girl at the centre of five of the eight charges that Teek (59) faces in his trial before Judge Ronnie Bosielo. “I didn’t feel good.I was paining,” she told the court.The girl making this claim was the second of the two children involved in the charges against Teek to testify yesterday.Earlier in the day, the first girl, who was nine years old at the time of the alleged incident that led to Teek’s arrest on January 31 last year and ruined his judicial career, gave her testimony in a closed-door session before Judge Bosielo.The first girl’s testimony was interrupted early in the afternoon, when she started repeatedly telling defence counsel Louis du Pisani, who was cross-examining her, that she did not have an answer for the questions he was asking her.Judge Bosielo, remarking that it appeared to him that her demeanour had changed over the lunchtime adjournment that followed the morning session, adjourned to give her a couple of minutes to rest.When the court resumed its session, Deputy Prosecutor General Heidi Jacobs, who was given permission to speak to the witness during the break, briefed the Judge that the girl had told her that she was tired and that she was not going to answer any more questions because she was tired.Judge Bosielo gave the girl permission to leave the witness box – to which she will have to return later for Du Pisani to complete his cross-examination.With her departure, the second complainant, who was ten years old at the time of the alleged incident, started testifying.Teek denies all charges against him.He is accused of abducting the two girls from the Katutura Single Quarters area on the evening of January 28 last year.He then drove with them to his home on a smallholding in the Brakwater area north of Windhoek.On the way, the State alleges, he sexually fondled the older girl.He allegedly also repeated this at his house.He is further accused of giving the two girls an alcoholic drink to consume at his home, and of committing an indecent or immoral act with each of the two girls by letting them sit on his lap and simulating the sexual act while they were sitting there.None of these allegations were true, according to Teek.He told the court in his plea explanation at the start of his trial three months ago that he was merely trying, with good intentions, to assist two hungry children when he took the girls to his home in order to give them some food after they had complained to them that they were hungry and were being mistreated at their homes.The first girl to testify yesterday denied that they were hungry when they encountered Teek.At the same, time, however, she also conceded under cross-examination from Du Pisani that she got into Teek’s vehicle because she knew him – they are related to each other, the court has been told – and they were going to go to his house to get some food.When they passed a Police roadblock, Teek told the two girls to bend down in the vehicle, both of the children told the court.At the house, the first girl testified, Teek let the other, older girl cook some meat, which the two children then ate.She ate, because she was hungry, the first girl told the court.After they had eaten, she continued, the two girls went for a swim in Teek’s pool.They wore only their panties, and they did this out of their own choice, she said.After swimming, they went back into the house, where Teek put on a video cassette and invited the children to sit on his lap, the first girl also testified.She said both children initially refused, but then her friend first, and then she, too, sat on his lap, she said.Nothing happened while she was sitting on his lap, she answered in response to one of Du Pisani’s questions under cross-examination.She also had no bad memories of the incident, she confirmed.’PEOPLE MAKING SEX’ After they had swum, Teek gave her and the other girl a bottle of Tafel Lager each, she further claimed.On this point, one of a number of contradictions between the two children’s testimony emerged.According to the older girl, Teek gave them some brandy and one Castle Lager to share, and Teek also forced half of this beer down her throat.The first girl mentioned nothing to that effect in her testimony.In her evidence in chief, the older girl also did not mention anything about having been invited to sit on Teek’s lap, or having actually done so.She claimed that immediately after arriving at Teek’s house, he showed them where the toilet was.They then went to a lounge, where he promptly put on a pornographic video – “a blue movie”, showing “people making sex”, as she described it – before he showed them the kitchen, she claimed.She also related that she cooked some meat, which they ate.After eating, they returned to the lounge, where “the man” – accepted to be Teek – was still sitting, watching the video, she claimed.She said they told him to put it away, but he did not want to.After that, they swam in their underwear, she continued.It was after they had got out of the pool that Teek put his left index finger on her private parts, she claimed.NAKED CLAIMS After they had put on their clothes again, they went to sit in the lounge, and Teek gave them a Castle Lager and also some brandy, she added.She and the younger girl first went to sleep in a bed in the house, but they moved to a couch after Teek had also got into the bed and tried to kiss her, she further claimed.While they were lying on the couch, Teek again came to them and suggested that they should sleep with him, but they refused, she added.The younger girl also claimed Teek had wanted them to sleep with him.According to the older girl, Teek was wearing dark blue clothing when he came to them to make this suggestion to them.He again returned to his room after that, but than later re-emerged, naked, and went to the lounge where he continued watching the pornographic video, she alleged.The next morning, when Teek walked past them from the lounge where he got up in the morning, he was still in the nude, she also claimed.The older girl claimed that when they first met Teek the previous evening, he asked them where their older sisters were.Then he wanted to let only the girls get into his car, and not some boys who were with them, she said.When he later drove off with the two girls, the older one said, she tried to open the door, but found that it was locked.As he was driving, he was touching her thigh, she added.”But it didn’t feel nice,” she said.The trial continues today.”I didn’t feel good.I was paining,” she told the court.The girl making this claim was the second of the two children involved in the charges against Teek to testify yesterday.Earlier in the day, the first girl, who was nine years old at the time of the alleged incident that led to Teek’s arrest on January 31 last year and ruined his judicial career, gave her testimony in a closed-door session before Judge Bosielo.The first girl’s testimony was interrupted early in the afternoon, when she started repeatedly telling defence counsel Louis du Pisani, who was cross-examining her, that she did not have an answer for the questions he was asking her.Judge Bosielo, remarking that it appeared to him that her demeanour had changed over the lunchtime adjournment that followed the morning session, adjourned to give her a couple of minutes to rest.When the court resumed its session, Deputy Prosecutor General Heidi Jacobs, who was given permission to speak to the witness during the break, briefed the Judge that the girl had told her that she was tired and that she was not going to answer any more questions because she was tired.Judge Bosielo gave the girl permission to leave the witness box – to which she will have to return later for Du Pisani to complete his cross-examination.With her departure, the second complainant, who was ten years old at the time of the alleged incident, started testifying.Teek denies all charges against him.He is accused of abducting the two girls from the Katutura Single Quarters area on the evening of January 28 last year.He then drove with them to his home on a smallholding in the Brakwater area north of Windhoek.On the way, the State alleges, he sexually fondled the older girl.He allegedly also repeated this at his house.He is further accused of giving the two girls an alcoholic drink to consume at his home, and of committing an indecent or immoral act with each of the two girls by letting them sit on his lap and simulating the sexual act while they were sitting there.None of these allegations were true, according to Teek.He told the court in his plea explanation at the start of his trial three months ago that he was merely trying, with good intentions, to assist two hungry children when he took the girls to his home in order to give them some food after they had complained to them that they were hungry and were being mistreated at their homes.The first girl to testify yesterday denied that they were hungry when they encountered Teek.At the same, time, however, she also conceded under cross-examination from Du Pisani that she got into Teek’s vehicle because she knew him – they are related to each other, the court has been told – and they were going to go to his house to get some food.When they passed a Police roadblock, Teek told the two girls to bend down in the vehicle, both of the children told the court.At the house, the first girl testified, Teek let the other, older girl cook some meat, which the two children then ate.She ate, because she was hungry, the first girl told the court.After they had eaten, she continued, the two girls went for a swim in Teek’s pool.They wore only their panties, and they did this out of their own choice, she said.After swimming, they went back into the house, where Teek put on a video cassette and invited the children to sit on his lap, the first girl also testified.She said both children initially refused, but then her friend first, and then she, too, sat on his lap, she said.Nothing happened while she was sitting on his lap, she answered in response to one of Du Pisani’s questions under cross-examination.She also had no bad memories of the incident, she confirmed.’PEOPLE MAKING SEX’ After they had swum, Teek gave her and the other girl a bottle of Tafel Lager each, she further claimed.On this point, one of a number of contradictions between the two children’s testimony emerged.According to the older girl, Teek gave them some brandy and one Castle Lager to share, and Teek also forced half of this beer down her throat.The first girl mentioned nothing to that effect in her testimony.In her evidence in chief, the older girl also did not mention anything about having been invited to sit on Teek’s lap, or having actually done so.She claimed that immediately after arriving at Teek’s house, he showed them where the toilet was.They then went to a lounge, where he promptly put on a pornographic video – “a blue movie”, showing “people making sex”, as she described it – before he showed them the kitchen, she claimed.She also related that she cooked some meat, which they ate.After eating, they returned to the lounge, where “the man” – accepted to be Teek – was still sitting, watching the video, she claimed.She said they told him to put it away, but he did not want to.After that, they swam in their underwear, she continued.It was after they had got out of the pool that Teek put his left index finger on her private parts, she claimed.NAKED CLAIMS After they had put on their clothes again, they went to sit in the lounge, and Teek gave them a Castle Lager and also some brandy, she added.She and the younger girl first went to sleep in a bed in the house, but they moved to a couch after Teek had also got into the bed and tried to kiss her, she further claimed.While they were lying on the couch, Teek again came to them and suggested that they should sleep with him, but they refused, she added.The younger girl also claimed Teek had wanted them to sleep with him.According to the older girl, Teek was wearing dark blue clothing when he came to them to make this suggestion to them.He again returned to his room after that, but than later re-emerged, naked, and went to the lounge where he continued watching the pornographic video, she alleged.The next morning, when Teek walked past them from the lounge where he got up in the morning, he was still in the nude, she also claimed.The older girl claimed that when they first met Teek the previous evening, he asked them where their older sisters were.Then he wanted to let only the girls get into his car, and not some boys who were with them, she said.When he later drove off with the two girls, the older one said, she tried to open the door, but found that it was locked.As he was driving, he was touching her thigh, she added.”But it didn’t feel nice,” she said.The trial continues today.