South African Press Association (Johannesburg)
4 February 2003
Pretoria — A friend of tattoo artist Robin (Robbie) Classen denied on Tuesday in the Pretoria High Court that he had anything to do with abducting and sexually molesting young children.
The State called trial-awaiting prisoner Robbie Londt to the stand after earlier claims by counsel for Classen that the three children accusing him of molestation and of subjecting them to Satanic rituals may have confused him with someone else.
The dark-haired Londt, who is awaiting trial on charges of housebreaking and theft, said, like Classen, he also had a body full of tattoos. His penis sported a tattoo dedicated to his girlfriend.
Similar to Classen, he had also at one stage worn his hair long and underwent body piercing.
The balding 38-year-old Classen, who denied guilt on 10 charges ranging from abduction and rape to indecent assault and assault, wore his long dark hair in a ponytail. He had a large number of distinctive tattoos on various parts of his body, including his penis, and had body piercing on his nose, mouth, throat and penis.
Londt, who met Classen in 1985 at a rehabilitation centre and 10 years later at Classen's tattoo parlour in Sunnyside, Pretoria, said they were never close. He knew Classen had spent time in the Zonderwater prison before opening his tattoo parlour.
According to Londt, he only wore rings in his one ear and nose and had removed it in about 1998. He had cut his long hair in 2001.
The State alleges that Classen had over a period of months in 2000 molested a seven-year-old girl and her two young brothers. The children earlier testified in camera.
Their mother told the court at length about the strange, inexplicable behaviour of her children and the strange events that took place at her home.
This included her eldest son attacking his brother and sister with an axe while in a trance-like state, saying with a strange voice that the devil had told him to kill them.
She also claimed the child could move objects by merely looking at them.
Londt said he had only been at the Schubart Park flats once in 1997 when he and his girlfriend went to fetch her car from her brother.
He had never been to Kruger Park flats, where the incidents allegedly took place.
Londt testified he had no previous convictions for rape, indecent assault or kidnapping and had nothing to do with "nonsense" like Satanism.
The trial continues./np
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