Acid attack victim not happy with her attacker's punishment

20 October 2015 - 17:08 By Roxanne Henderson

The woman who suffered an acid attack at the hands of her ex-boyfriend is unhappy with the outcome of his trial. Speaking at the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday‚ Ines Antonio‚ 23‚ said that her attacker‚ Jan Pieterse‚ 39‚ should have been given a harsher judgment by the court.Pieterse‚ who claimed he acted in self-defence‚ was convicted of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm by magistrate Albertus Roux.He had been charged with two counts of attempted murder for throwing acid at Antonio and their child last year‚ but Roux found that Antonio was “no angel” and convicted Pieterse on the lesser charge.“He threatened me. He promised me he's going to throw acid on my face and he finally did it.“This is so unfair‚” Antonio said.National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson (NPA) Phindi Louw said that the prosecution was disappointed with the outcome too.“Today we feel our court could have gone a mile further to develop our law and [fulfil] its mandate of protecting [the] citizens of our country‚” she said.Louw was unable to say whether the NPA would apply for leave to appeal Pieterse's conviction.Antonio said that she hoped Pieterse would receive a hefty sentence and that it would send a message to other perpetrators of domestic violence.“These monsters out there disfiguring our faces and stealing our identities deserve to be locked up‚” she said. The case returns to court in December for sentencing proceedings...

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.