The man accused of raping and murdering Elsies River toddler Courtney Pieters will know his fate next month, when the Western Cape High Court will deliver judgement on 17 October.
Closing arguments in the trial against Mortimer Saunders, 41, concluded Monday.
Saunders, who usually looks bored in court, was nervous, clenching his teeth and rubbing his fingers over his lips throughout proceedings.
NERVY: Mortimer Saunders clenched his teeth in court. Photo: Noor Slamdien/ AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY (ANA)
He is accused of raping and killing the three-year-old girl at her Salberau Estate home last year before dumping her tiny body at nearby Epping Industria.
The little girl went missing on 4 May, and nine days later her body was found on a field near Bofors Circle.
Saunders, who had been boarding with the family for two years and was a close friend of Courtney’s father, Aaron Fourie, admitted in court to killing the little girl and committing a sexual act with her corpse.
However, he denies raping her, or that he planned to kill her when he fed her poison.
Instead, he claims he wanted to make the child sick because he wanted to punish her mother, Juanita, whom he disliked.
State prosecutor, Advocate Esmeralda Cecil, says the State believes Courtney was raped while alive and the murder was premeditated.
“He stated he wanted to make the child sick, that was clearly not the intention as the toxicologist found a high concentration of poison in the deceased’s blood and bile even after nine days.
“He had waited for her to die. Why choke her and place a towel over her mouth? These are the actions of a person who wanted to finish what he had done,” Cecil submitted.
Saunders’ defence, Advocate Mornay Calitz, said Courtney’s death was a mistake and reiterated his client had not penetrated Courtney with his penis.
Saunders admitted he inserted three fingers into the child’s vagina after she died. This, he said, had aroused him and he had ejaculated outside her body.
“If indeed the accused procured the poison and used it to kill the deceased, why would he add extra mechanisms (choking, smothering) to hasten her death?” Calitz asked the court.
Judge Pearl Mantame answered: “He was panicking because the child was reacting to the poison.”
Mantame also wanted to know why Saunders did not seek medical help when he saw the child was sick.
“It defeats the purpose to want to make the child sick then seek medical attention. He panicked when people started calling her, not because she was sick,” Calitz shot back.
“He did not want the child found with him. She would have said he made her sick.
“If you plan a murder and rape it would be somewhat stupid to do it with so many people around.”
He added: “[As for] the injuries of the deceased, the accused says she fought back and those injuries could be because of that.”
But an irritated Mantame responded: “Do you want the court to believe that?”