- Mrs Cilliers gave contradictory evidence and became a 'hostile witness' to the prosecution and even had to be warned not to meet him six months after he tried to kill him;
The judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, thanked the jury of nine men and three women for carrying out their duty with 'distinction'.
He said he would be seeking a report from the probation service to establish the 'dangerousness' of the defendant and to seek a statement from Mrs Cilliers on the impact the offences had upon her before sentencing Cilliers on a date to be set.
He said: 'The burden now falls on me on what to do as far as this defendant is concerned, that too is a heavy burden.'
He continued: 'It's an important part of any sentencing exercise where there is a victim or intended victim as there plainly is in this case, that the court gives the victim an opportunity to make a statement and despite all the ups and downs that is what I am going to afford Mrs Cilliers if she wishes to take it.'
The judge added that he would have to consider the 'dangerousness' of the defendant and said: 'It may well be that I may need a report from an expert probation officer on this but as the judge who has presided over this case twice, you may imagine I have my own views.'
[...]
Prosecutors, who must ask open questions under court rules, were forced to apply to a judge to have her declared a 'hostile witness'.
Judge Mr Justice Nigel Sweeney granted the application, allowing closed questions to be asked in an attempt to stop her from providing a different version of events in court.
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