Accused claims self-defence in acid attack
JOBURG - The attempted murder charge against Jan Pieterse, who allegedly threw acid at his ex-girlfriend, Ines Antonio, in front of their three-year-old daughter on a street in Sydenham in November last year, saw the accused address the Court to give his version of the event.
Pieterse alleged in court on 4 September, that he had arranged to meet Antonio to give her a cellphone and toys he had bought for their daughter when an argument ensued near his car.
According to Pieterse, his actions were in self-defence and he claimed Antonio had struck him in the face moments before the harrowing incident took place. Antonio began weeping at this point in the trial.
Pieterse then claimed Antonio became aggressive towards him and that he moved towards his boot to create more space between them, however, she continued to come closer to him.
According to Pieterse, he grabbed the first object that he could get his hands on and threw it at her in a bid to calm her to calm down. “It wasn’t intentional… Unfortunately it was a container of acid,” he claimed. Pieterse alleged to the court that the acid was in fact drain cleaner which he kept in his boot near his tool box.
According to Pieterse, after he had thrown the acid onto Antonio, he left the scene not realising how serious the wounds he had inflicted upon her were. Pieterse alleged that he only became aware of how badly Antonio had been hurt was when an image was sent to his father on WhatsApp.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Nurse Sanyane of Norwood Police Station said at the time of the attack, “This was an unforgiving act. We will wait for justice to be done.”
The case was postponed to 7 September by the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court.
