Pretoria - Young Afrikaans singer Robbie Klay on Tuesday
described in detail to the North Gauteng High Court how fellow
singer Jurie Els allegedly started molesting him when he was
11.
Els, who now lives in New Zealand, has pleaded not guilty to two
charges of indecently assaulting Klay and a charge of soliciting
Klay to commit indecent acts while he was under the age of
16.
Klay, who started singing at the age of five, testified that in
1997 Els offered him and his mother a recording contract with the
record company where Els was in charge of the Afrikaans
section.
Klay and his mother initially visited Els together at his home to
work on his repertoire, but he soon started visiting Els alone and
ended up spending nights with the singer at his home in
Garsfontein.
Els had gone out of his way to make him feel comfortable and told
him he should not be shy.
Father figure
Els sought to fill the role of a father figure in his life, as he
had lost contact with his own father at a young age.
He soon started enjoying visiting Els and for the first time
started using the internet, with Els encouraging him to visit sex
sites and allowing him to watch sex scenes in videos - which his
mother had never permitted at home.
According to Klay, Els encouraged him to walk around without
underwear in Els' shorts and helped him undress and bathe. They
often swam together naked, he said.
Els told him his emerging sexual awakening was "dead
normal" and "he should know these things" as he was
becoming a man.
Klay described several incidents where Els had gradually introduced
him to sexual behaviour.
He had never told anyone about these incidents, because he was
afraid, as Els had told him it was "their secret" and if
he ever said anything he (Els) would go to jail and Klay (whom he
affectionately called Robs), would end up in an orphanage.
The trial continues.
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