TWO brothers, apparently concerned about their sister’s honour, took their fists and a samurai sword to her ex-lover in a brutal assault after he sent compromising pictures of her to her ex-husband.
The sexual dalliance and its bloody aftermath have played themselves out again in East London’s courts, four years after the initial relationship entanglement.
The two brothers, Noel Harris from Cove Ridge and Roy Harris from Cambridge, have already been convicted in the regional court for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and sentenced to correctional supervision of 30 months and 36 months respectively.
This week the East London High Court ruled they should pay their victim, Gonubie resident Martin McGregor, almost half a million rand to offset the bloody late night rampage in his flat in May 2009.
The 58-year-old man had claimed the damages amid severe post-traumatic stress from the attack, which also left him with multiple other injuries.
The Harris brothers, unhappy that McGregor sent compromising pictures of their sister, Carleen Scheepers to her former husband, entered McGregor’s flat as he was preparing for bed.
McGregor said in court papers that the photographs had been taken by mutual consent while he and Scheepers were in an intimate relationship. They had taken photographs of each other. He said most of the photographs had been taken by Scheepers. He also acknowledged having posted some photographs in the mailbox of Scheepers’ former husband.
But he stressed that the Harris brothers had entered his flat without permission and brutally attacked him with no provocation on his part on the night of the attack.
The evidence in court reflect a vicious assault, which included McGregor being pistol-whipped and gagged with a towel.
He told how he had recovered from consciousness in the lounge of his flat to find himself handcuffed, and how he endured ongoing beating, punching and kicking through the night. A samurai sword was also used in the assault.
As McGregor slipped in and out of consciousness, the Harris brothers repeatedly threatened to kill him.
His injuries included a broken jaw, cuts on both ears, a right eardrum so damaged he was permanently deaf in that ear, headaches, difficulty in eating, facial disfigurement and severe post-traumatic stress.
A psychological assessment indicated he experienced recurrent distressing recollections and dreams of the event.
He had lost 14kg since the trauma, due both to the stress and the difficulty chewing caused by the jaw and face injuries.
The artisan boilermaker had become reclusive, avoiding social interaction of any kind.
As a result of the injuries, McGregor said he was no longer able to participate in martial arts and quad bike racing.
Medical records and professional reports attached to the court documents detailed the extent of the assault.
The East London High Court ordered the brothers to pay their victim R440633 plus costs in compensation.
They were sentenced in the regional court to correctional supervision in January 2011. — rayh@dispatch.co.za
R500k for sister’s honour
The sexual dalliance and its bloody aftermath have played themselves out again in East London’s courts, four years after the initial relationship entanglement.
The two brothers, Noel Harris from Cove Ridge and Roy Harris from Cambridge, have already been convicted in the regional court for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and sentenced to correctional supervision of 30 months and 36 months respectively.
This week the East London High Court ruled they should pay their victim, Gonubie resident Martin McGregor, almost half a million rand to offset the bloody late night rampage in his flat in May 2009.
The 58-year-old man had claimed the damages amid severe post-traumatic stress from the attack, which also left him with multiple other injuries.
The Harris brothers, unhappy that McGregor sent compromising pictures of their sister, Carleen Scheepers to her former husband, entered McGregor’s flat as he was preparing for bed.
McGregor said in court papers that the photographs had been taken by mutual consent while he and Scheepers were in an intimate relationship. They had taken photographs of each other. He said most of the photographs had been taken by Scheepers. He also acknowledged having posted some photographs in the mailbox of Scheepers’ former husband.
But he stressed that the Harris brothers had entered his flat without permission and brutally attacked him with no provocation on his part on the night of the attack.
The evidence in court reflect a vicious assault, which included McGregor being pistol-whipped and gagged with a towel.
He told how he had recovered from consciousness in the lounge of his flat to find himself handcuffed, and how he endured ongoing beating, punching and kicking through the night. A samurai sword was also used in the assault.
As McGregor slipped in and out of consciousness, the Harris brothers repeatedly threatened to kill him.
His injuries included a broken jaw, cuts on both ears, a right eardrum so damaged he was permanently deaf in that ear, headaches, difficulty in eating, facial disfigurement and severe post-traumatic stress.
A psychological assessment indicated he experienced recurrent distressing recollections and dreams of the event.
He had lost 14kg since the trauma, due both to the stress and the difficulty chewing caused by the jaw and face injuries.
The artisan boilermaker had become reclusive, avoiding social interaction of any kind.
As a result of the injuries, McGregor said he was no longer able to participate in martial arts and quad bike racing.
Medical records and professional reports attached to the court documents detailed the extent of the assault.
The East London High Court ordered the brothers to pay their victim R440633 plus costs in compensation.
They were sentenced in the regional court to correctional supervision in January 2011. — rayh@dispatch.co.za
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