Africa: Psychiatrist Pieter Van der Westhuizen Faces Rape Charges

Psychiatrist Pieter Van der Westhuizen is accused of having drugged and raped one of his patients in Swakopmund, Nambia in November 2015. Van der Westhuizen has been indicted and is charged with three counts of rape, one charge of indecent assault, and one count of attempted murder, in connection with an alleged sexual assault of a patient on 7 November 2015. 

 

Van der Westhuizen allegedly arranged with a female patient to visit his consulting rooms for a procedure to be carried out whilst also prescribing medication and instructing her to take the medication on the morning before her consultation with him.

 

The patient allegedly had a panic attack and had to be rushed to his consulting rooms and was given more medication, where Van der Westhuizenand allegedly assaulted and raped her while she was alone with him.

 

The pretrial hearing was over in minutes, with Van der Westhuizen's case being postponed to 21 June 2018 to give his team of defence lawyers time to prepare a reply to a list of questions. 

 

 

Werner Menges,"Namibia: Psychiatrist Faces Rape Charges in High Court," All Africa, 28 May 2018,

http://allafrica.com/stories/201805280372.html