Defence tries to discredit alleged Bob Hewitt victim

Charmaine Slater, of the Bedfordview and Edenvale News, testified that Suellen Sheehan contacted her in November 2011 to tell her what Hewitt had allegedly done to her.

 

During the interview, Sheehan told Slater that Hewitt gave her tennis lessons from when she was nine until she was 14.

 

Sheehan said Hewitt raped her when she was 11. Sheehan has, however, testified that Hewitt raped her in his car in 1982, when she was 12.

 

On Tuesday, the court heard that Slater sent Sheehan a copy of the article shortly after it was published.

 

At the time Sheehan had responded with: "Wow."

 

Slater asked her whether she liked it.

 

"I think you did a fantastic job," Sheehan responded via e-mail.

 

The e-mails were entered as exhibits for the trial.

 

Slater claimed the article was a "very true reflection" of her interview with Sheehan and its contents were never disputed.

 

She only heard of her complaints when she was subpoenaed on Thursday to appear in court.

 

Slater was the second journalist to testify on Tuesday.

 

A reporter for Port Elizabeth's Weekend Post newspaper, Shaun Gillham, earlier testified that he interviewed Sheehan for an article published on September 3, 2011.

 

He told the court Sheehan said Hewitt sexually assaulted her but she made no mention of rape.

 

The article stated that: "She was approached by Hewitt when she was nine years old and that he had sexually assaulted her."

 

Gillham maintained that Sheehan never said anything about rape.

 

"I stand by this article," said Gillham.

 

He added that, according to his understanding, Sheehan said Hewitt began sexually assaulting her when she was nine.

 

"So these are her words?" asked Terry Price, for Hewitt.

 

"Absolutely," responded Gillham.

 

He said it was always important for a journalist to ensure that sources were quoted verbatim. The notes he took during his telephonic interview with Sheehan were, however, no longer available.

 

Gillham said Sheehan never contested the contents of the article and several follow-up articles on the matter were written.

 

In his article, Gillham stated they had been informed that Hewitt suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

 

When he later spoke to Hewitt he never verified these claims.

 

Gillham said this was kept in the article to "add colour".

 

Sheehan is one of two women who have testified that Hewitt raped them in the 1980s. A third witness claimed she was sexually assaulted by Hewitt in the 1990s.

 

Hewitt, 75, is on trial for two counts of rape and one of indecent assault.

 

Sheehan has told the court she was misquoted in several newspaper articles, particularly on her age when Hewitt allegedly raped her.