Water polo coach Rex found guilty

NO SENTENCE YET: 144 COUNTS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

I was very immature and could have handled things better, he tells court.

Despite calls for him to be acquitted, former Parktown Boys’ High assistant water polo coach, Collan Rex, was found guilty on 144 counts of sexual assault and 12 counts of common assault yesterday.

When his trial at the High Court in Johannesburg, held at Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court, began last month, Rex was facing 327 counts. He has since pleaded guilty to 144 counts of sexual assault against 12 of the 23 boys who are complainants in the case.

The defence had previously argued that Rex should be acquitted on a number of charges due to the poor credibility of some witnesses, reports Eye Witness News.

Earlier this week, Judge Peet Johnson acquitted Rex on 43 charges of the 183 that he pleaded not guilty to. The 22-year-old is yet to be sentenced.

Rex on Tuesday told the court – where he was facing charges ranging from rape to attempted murder – that he realised that choking the children, which he admitted to having done, was “immature”.

“I was very immature and when I look back now, I could have been more responsible and handled things better,” Rex said while being cross-examined by state prosecutor Arveena Persad.

“I realise that it was childish and I should’ve stopped.”

During proceedings yesterday, he maintained that it was not his intention to kill any of the pupils.

Rex told the court he had been wrestling with a matric boy and had to signal for the boy to stop. It was supposedly common at Parktown Boys’ to wrestle each other.

Persad asked: “Why did you not bring it up while giving your evidence? Why did you wait till I ask you?” “I don’t know,” Rex responded. Rex pleaded guilty to the 144 sexual assault charges of 12 boys.

Earlier, he said he did not know why a number of the boys would wrongfully implicate him, adding that one of the boys would probably wrongfully implicate him because he did not get along with the boy’s cousin.

Later, Persad questioned Rex about a playdough penis. Rex said it belonged to one of the boys and that he had returned it to him.

During the trial, some boys testified that Rex tried to force them to suck the playdough penis. –