‘I forgave Hewitt for raping me’
Ex-tennis star’s guilty verdict a ‘victory’ for former pupil
ONE OF former Grand Slam tennis champion Bob Hewitt’s pupils forgave him “a long time ago” for raping her, Suellen Sheehan said outside the Johannesburg High Court yesterday. Judge Bert Bam had earlier found Hewitt guilty on two counts of rape and one of sexual assault.
He has been released on R10 000 bail, and will appear in the North Gauteng High Court for sentencing on April 17.
“He has served his sentence. If he goes to jail, he goes to jail. If he doesn’t, he doesn’t,” Sheehan said.
“We need to all just move on from this and learn something out of it. I forgave him a long time ago.”
The court’s ruling had given her some freedom.
“It is a victory, yes. It has given me a little freedom to move on with my life. Victory is a hard word to use because I don’t think it is a game.”
She hoped the case would encourage other victims to come forward.
“I just hope this gives hope to other victims (so they) can hopefully take something from this and be as brave as we were, and confront danger and take their perpetrators to task, because ultimately they will be believed.”
Australian-born Hewitt had been on trial for raping two of his former students, Theresa “Twiggy” Tolken and Sheehan in the 1980s. He sexually assaulted a third woman, who may not be named, in the 1990s. He gave tennis lessons to the girls. Minutes after Judge Bam found Hewitt guilty, tears streamed down Sheehan’s face. She left the courtroom and rushed past several cameras to get to the toilets.
Outside the courtroom, prosecutor Carina Coetzee covered her face with her hands, smiled, and shook her head. She said she was in shock.
“Last night I couldn’t breathe wondering how I was going to still convince him (Judge Bam),” she said.
Hewitt’s bail conditions required him to hand over his passport and restrict his movement between the Eastern Cape, where he lives, Pretoria for court proceedings, and Joburg, where his daughter lives.
Terry Price, for Hewitt, told the court he would file an application to have a clinical psychologist assess his client.
Judge Bam said Price would have to convince him during the next court appearance that the clinical tests were necessary for Price’s arguments in mitigation of sentence.
Hewitt, wearing a beige suit, sat in the dock with his arms folded as Judge Bam summarised his modus operandi in all three cases.
“In all three cases the victims were gullible young girls who were in their early teens when the accused started coaching them.
“All three complainants were overwhelmed by the presence and reputation of the accused and the high esteem he was held in.”
The judge said that in all three instances Hewitt had the opportunity to justifiably be in direct physical contact with each complainant without raising suspicion. Hewitt had the opportunity to be alone with each of the girls and to touch them intimately.
Hewitt had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Hewitt had “manipulated the girls to get them under his spell, and after having ‘groomed’ them, and after they had fallen in love with him, the accused proceeded to have intercourse with them without needing their express consent”.
They were intimidated by Hewitt and submitted to him. “The accused abused the children’s trust in him.”
The judge said it was unfortunate that crimes of such a nature only came to light many years after they were committed.
The State had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the evidence against Hewitt was reasonably possibly true.