Springs Monster couple back in court in 2018
Springs Monster case postponed to February 19.
The trial of the Springs couple, accused of abusing their five children in their Springs home, continued in the High Court in Pretoria on Thursday.
Judge Eben Jordaan postponed the trial to February 19.
On Wednesday, prosecution expressed concern that criminologist Dr Pixie du Toit, who testified for the 30-year-old woman, was on a “fishing expedition” to find a defence for her.
Clinical psychologist Prof Gérard Labuschagne testified he had seen countless shacks that he would live in, but was shocked by the absolute filth in the double-story house in Springs.
Rats were running around in the lounge while he was interviewing the woman, there were filthy pots in the kitchen and a suffocated rat stuck in a chutney bottle.
The Citizen’s Ilse de Lange, a court reporter who has been reporting on the case since it began last year, reports:
Labuschagne criticised du Toit’s report which described the woman as a victim who had symptoms of Stockholm syndrome and had no will of her own.
He disagreed the woman had Stockholm syndrome, but conceded this was some of the most horrible domestic abuse he had seen.
Du Toit testified the woman showed signs of depression, post traumatic stress disorder and anxiety and the father, whom she never interviewed, had an antisocial personality.
The woman and her husband denied guilt to a range of charges relating to the abuse and neglect of their children, the attempted murder of their eldest son and drug dealing.
The father also denied raping and sexually molesting his eldest daughter.
He pleaded guilty to one of the 22 charges against him, interfering with a police officer while he was on duty during an investigation.
Labuschagne testified du Toit had behaved in an unethical manner and made diagnoses which could only be done by a registered psychologist.
He said the woman had already been assessed by a panel of experts, but she deserved a proper psychological assessment in the form of a sentencing report.
The father remains in custody in Modderbee Prison.
