‘I never touched her’

Kimberley - A high-ranking South African National Defence Force (SANDF) official, accused of sexually molesting a 10-year-old child, will know whether he is guilty or not when the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court pronounces judgment on the case next month.

The 43-year-old Neville George Traugott is accused of sexually fondling the girl’s private parts at his home at the 3SAI military base on September 17 last year.

It is believed that the girl, together with Traugott’s nine-year-old son and another two minor girls, were watching television at Traugott’s house when he invited the complainant into one of the rooms to teach her a computer game.

He apparently put her on his lap, opened her legs and massaged her private parts with his finger.

On Tuesday, during his testimony, Traugott denied that he had sexually assaulted the minor.

“I never touched her. I stood next to her while I showed her how to play the computer game,” Traugott stated.

He said that he never called the girls one by one from the TV room to his living room, where the computer was situated.

“All the children were watching television and chatting. I asked them if they were interested in playing a computer game and the complainant was the first one to leave the other children to go to the living room. She didn’t understand the computer game and she asked me to show her how to play it,” Traugott said.

He pointed out that at that time he was alone with the complainant in the living room.

“I was busy tidying up the table with my back to the girl. I then went over to where she was sitting in front of the computer and stood on the right-hand side next to her and showed her how the game was played. After that I left and she also left because the game was too complicated for her,” Traugott added.

His testimony was disputed by the State prosecutor, Victor Thetele, during the cross-examination when he accused Traugott of misleading the court.

“There are many discrepancies in your testimony. During the previous court proceedings, you told the court that you stood behind the girl while you were teaching her how to play the game but today you are telling us that you stood next to her,” Thetele said.

“You again changed this by saying that you were standing slightly behind her. Which of these versions is the truth?

“You testified, saying that the complainant once stole R30 from your son and that you and your wife agreed that you did not want to see her in your house again. Yet you helped her play a computer game at your house. Is this not strange? It is clear that you are fabricating your statement and that you are misleading the court,” Thetele added.

He also said that when the complainant testified in the court, she had stated that Traugott called them one by one into the living room.

“If this is not true why did the children go into the living room with you one by one? Why did they not all move to the living room at the same time so that they could play the computer game,” Thetele asked.

Traugott was represented in court by Ricky Ishmael. The case was postponed to October 11 for judgment.

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