BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
11/12/2009
Prinsloo charged in Belarus
Julian Rademeyer
Johannesburg - Alleged child sex criminal Dirk Prinsloo has apparently been officially charged with attempted robbery, "thuggery" and sexual crimes with teenage girls in Belarus.
The charges were officially submitted to a court in the city of Brest on Thursday.
Prinsloo is expected to stand trial early next year.
Prinsloo was arrested in June in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, after he had allegedly been involved in a failed bank robbery.
He apparently tried to rob a bank in a small town, near the flat where he was hiding with his Belarusian girlfriend and their one-year-old daughter.
'Sexual sadist'
In September, the police confirmed to Beeld that Prinsloo - labelled a "sexual sadist" by the advocate of his former girlfriend Cezanne Visser - is being investigated in connection with "various sex crimes in Minsk".
According to the head of Interpol in Belarus, Mikhail Starikovich, new allegations relate to Prinsloo's alleged "sexual perversions" with former girlfriends.
Prinsloo's father, Johan Prinsloo, said on Thursday that his son had written to him, saying that conditions in Belarusian prisons are "far worse" than in South Africa.
"It's dirty, shabby, and inmates are fed only the most basic food. It's disgusting and noisy.
"It's quite simply messy and dirty."
Hopes for a fair trial
He says his son has a lawyer and "hopes" he will have a fair trial.
"It sounds like he does have contact with his lawyer, and perhaps he [Prinsloo] could try to provide guidance, since he knows court procedures. But it depends.
"The moment they start talking about these matters in their own language, you don't know what was conveyed; in the end."
He says Dirk speaks very little Russian, which makes the case even more difficult for him.
According to Prinsloo snr, his son will appear in court in January, which will be the first time since his arrest.
Visser home for Christmas
Visser will at least be able to spend this Christmas at home.
She will be sentenced next year for the sex crimes she committed with young women and girls from a children's home.
Acting Judge Chris Eksteen postponed the sentencing proceedings to February 8 in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Thursday.
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