Cape Town - A convicted pimp from Milnerton has blamed the horrific living conditions in Pollsmoor Prison as the reason his estranged wife turned on him in the Western Cape High Court.
In a series of dramatic testimonies, Edward Ayuk and his estranged wife, Leandre Williams, turned on each other as they took the stand before Judge Alma de Wet to beg for a lighter sentence.
The couple, alongside Ayuk’s cousin, Yannick, were accused of running a brothel in Brooklyn and went on trial in November 2021 in what was dubbed the biggest human trafficking case before a local court.
The trio were slapped with over 40 charges including rape, kidnapping, assault and various other offences for running the brothel.
During the mammoth trial, several of the women were transported from their home towns to take the stand.
Williams also took the stand in her own defence, denying that she had trafficked any women from Springbok.
After the State had closed its case, defence lawyer advocate Bash Sibda successfully argued for for Yannick’s acquittal on 27 charges.
They were later found guilty by De Wet on various charges and Williams was taken into custody.
Williams returned to the stand first, where she wept and asked why Edward did not admit his guilt, saying that along with Yannick she was innocent.
She accused the father of her children of abusing her and other women, saying that he treated them like products he bought in a shop.
Edward said that he was a good Christian man and denied all Williams’s claims.
He told the court he was not the monster she made him out to be.
“I don’t know why she is saying these things but nobody wants to see prison. She can say whatever she wants but I am saying it is because of prison. Pollsmoor is not a nice place,” he said.
Both Edward and Yannick highlighted the conditions behind bars, saying it was worse for foreigners who were not part of the Numbers gang.
Yannick told the court he had been placed in an overcrowded cell and given two slices of bread each day.
He was unable to access resources as the last time his family was able to visit him was two years ago.
mahira.duval@inl.co.za
Cape Argus