Le Roux nibbled my ear, says teacher

WHEN allegations of sexual abuse levelled against former Grade 7 primary school teacher Neil Pieter le Roux emerged, teachers at the school showed him support in the belief that the accusations were false.

This was the testimony of the second complainant in the rape, sexual assault and sexual grooming trial against Le Roux entered its second day in the East London Regional Court yesterday.

The woman, 29, told the court that her experience with 67year-old Le Roux had happened on the evening of February 12 last year.

At the time she was a student teacher at the school and Le Roux was her mentor.

She described how Le Roux at one point started nibbling at her ear and she pulled away saying no.

Le Roux’s lawyer, advocate Neil Schoeman put it to her that she was shorter than Le Roux, and she had misconstrued his talking in her ear to say thanks for the evening as a nibble.

“That is incorrect. I know the difference,” the woman shot back.

“On that day there was a Grade 7 Valentine’s Day dance between our school and [another] school. Mr Le Roux offered me a lift to and back as I did not have a car. After the function, parents came and picked up their kids and we left. It was about 7.30pm.

“On our way back to the hostel, he opened a bottle of alcohol. He said: ‘It is Friday and we must relax’. He parked on the side of the road and took a sip. He encouraged me to take a sip and he proceeded to carry on driving,” the woman told the court.

She said instead of taking a short route to her home Le Roux took a longer one.

The woman said Le Roux parked his car in front of the school and she got out.

“He ordered me to take the bottle with and we walked towards the hostel. He then said let’s take a seat by the tennis court and have a conversation. “He mentioned that if he should kiss me at this point I shouldn’t find it funny or weird.

“I suggested I should go to the hostel, he got up and embraced me. He started nibbling at my ear with his mouth and I pulled away. I said ‘No, I should go’ and he started telling me that if I don’t want a relationship with him it was my loss.”

She said the following Monday she confronted him about the incident and he told her he was proud of her for talking to him about it.