Courtney: raped, beaten, poisoned

A PROFESSOR in forensic pathology testified in the Western Cape High Court this week that murdered three-year-old Courtney Pieters was sexually assaulted, but he could not say if this took place before or after her death.

Jakob Johan Dempers gave extremely graphic and disturbing evidence from the autopsy carried out on the toddler.

Mortimer Saunders, who shared a house with Courtney’s family in Elsies River, is on trial for the rape and murder of the little girl.

Courtney’s body was found on May 13, 2017 near a dump site in Epping and was positively identified by her parents the next day. The body was discovered nine days after the child disappeared.

In evidence that caused several murmurs in the public gallery, Dempers described in detail the processes that forensic pathologists followed during Courtney’s autopsy.

Dempers was the consulting pathologist, and testified as the pathologist who initially performed the autopsy, Aloysia Ogle, had since emigrated to Dubai.

“I wasn’t standing next to Dr Ogle every second of the autopsy but I am very comfortable with the facts of the case,” said Dempers.

The chief post-mortem findings included: pressure to the neck and genital areas, the presence of the insecticide Carbaryl in the bile and blood; the cause of death being asphyxia and or poisoning.

Semen was found in the vaginal vault as well as on her inner right thigh.

Dempers stressed the pathologists could not conclusively say that Courtney died as a result of strangulation or poisoning, but also could not rule out either as the cause of death.

He added that much of the discolouration on Courtney’s body was the result of decomposition and not bruising.

According to Dempers’s testimony, the girl had clear bruises on her right eye, upper lip, the side of her face, right side of her back and front and inside of her thighs.

He was, however, not able to say whether the bruises were caused by an object or fingers.

Dempers was at pains to dismiss a claim that semen may have been detected near the vagina as a result of contamination when swabs were taken.

“The presence of semen on or inside the vagina is usually an indication that it was deposited there by a penis. Fingers cannot place semen inside the vaginal vault,” said Dempers.

The trial will resume on August 6, when the defence is expected to call its forensic pathology expert, Dr Segran Naidoo.

PICTURE: HENK KRUGER/AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY(ANA) Mortimer Saunders has admitted in court to murdering Courtney Pieters, 3. In a statement, he said he gave her ant poison to drink.