Olivia Jasriel, who helped convict Bob Hewitt for raping young tennis players, has died

A Gauteng woman who campaigned against abuse of minors in sport after she helped secure a jail term for former international tennis player and coach Bob Hewitt has died.  

Olivia Jasriel, who was in her 50s, struggled with mental health after being raped at the age of 12 and the long wait for justice. 

Born Suellen Sheehan, she changed her name — choosing Olivia for its meaning, “peace” — after Hewitt was prosecuted after three decades. He was paroled after serving three-and-a-half years in prison for raping two teenage tennis pupils and sexually assaulting a third in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation, confirming her death, paid tribute to Jasriel as a staunch fighter against child abuse who dedicated herself to implementing safeguarding policies in sport.

“We admire her courage for speaking out and her determination to fight for justice not only for herself but also for other victims. Olivia publicly stated she had struggled all her life with depression, relationships, low self-esteem, eating disorders and terrible abandonment and rejection issues as a result of her abuse.

“We saw her struggles through the years and how she bravely tried to fight her demons. We experienced how helping others was part of her healing but also a trigger for her own hurt and pain. We are sad and heartbroken that Olivia has left this world.

“We choose to remember Olivia as a warrior, not as a victim who fought many personal battles caused by a wounded childhood. We shall remember her for her kindness and compassion.”

During the protracted court and parole proceedings, she disclosed she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder which made it difficult to cope. She said she was also a multi-autoimmune disease sufferer who lived with chronic pain.

Jasriel previously described her experience as a victim in South Africa's judicial system as “horrific”.

Her own parents had not believed her when she spoke of the rape, she said, and their relationship had broken down to the point where she had no contact with them.

“The trauma I have suffered as a result of speaking out and speaking my truth has been indescribable. I received death threats‚ my son’s life was threatened‚ I lost my family‚ it was probably the loneliest time of my life.

“The emotional and financial cost was huge because our constitution is not victim-centric‚ it’s completely perpetrator-centric, as are the unwritten rules in the sporting community‚ we have sadly discovered.”

She ran her own foundation to help children affected by abuse and started an athletes' wing under the umbrella of Women and Men Against Child Abuse.

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