Cape Town - A Gender-Based Violence (GBV) ase has been continuously postponed to the chagrin of the complainant and her supporters.
They are hoping the matter will come to an end on March 3 in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court.
Lovisa Terling, a 34-year-old Swedish national who testified against her ex-husband and has since found healing in trying to change the pattern of toxic masculinity, said “it scares me”, referring to how long the criminal justice system in South Africa takes to secure a conviction against abusers.
Terling sat in court on Tuesday as her ex, male model Keagan Troskie’s defence lawyer argued for four hours. The court heard how the abuse started a day after the pair were married.
During her arguments, the defence lawyer appeared to mock the shotgun marriage between Troskie and Terling, describing it as, “how young people do it these days”. The lawyer tried to convince the magistrate, “the complainant is a liar!”
The Cape Argus reported in 2020 that Troskie, 32, was charged with grievous bodily harm after he allegedly assaulted his wife. According to the charge sheet, he also dragged her by her hair, twisted her arm and tried to strangle her. When the matter was brought before a magistrate, Terling’s friend, Angela de Castro Silva, testified about the incident in March 2019 after a night out together at the Rockpool Restaurant in Sea Point.
De Castro Silva submitted Facebook messages received the following morning in which Terling wrote: “Help, Please come here with police. I’m so scared. He hurt me last night” and “Can you come alone?”
Terling said on Tuesday that as someone who had used her experience to educate others, “I understand why no one wants to take this on anymore, (considering) how painful and prolonged this is”