A tough week for Dirk in Belarus court

Dirk Prinsloo spent hours watching porn on his computer - but never child porn, according to a former girlfriend and mother of his baby daughter.

It was this habit that led to his arrest on June 12.

The former South African advocate, notorious for his antics with Cezanne Visser, also known as Advocate Barbie, has just spent a week in the Baranovichi High Court in Belarus.

Prinsloo, who was standing trial with Visser on sex-related charges, was on the run from South African authorities after skipping bail and was on Interpol's wanted list when he was arrested in the eastern European country.
He is accused of stealing a necklace from another former girlfriend, Svetlana Vasily; torturing and threatening to kill a former lover known as Anastasia; the attempted robbery of a branch of the Bank of Belarus on June 10; and hooliganism, for allegedly assaulting a woman while fleeing the bank.

He was caught two days later at an internet cafe in Minsk, while e-mailing a girlfriend that he was going to flee to Russia.

Prinsloo refused to plead to the charges on Monday, claiming that he had not consulted his advocate yet. But he denied any knowledge of the theft, torture and threat of murder charges on Friday.

He "partially admitted guilt" - a plea option in Belarus - to the attempted robbery, saying he was in emotional turmoil at the time because of his financial problems.

He also apologised to Belarus, South Africa and the female employees at the bank.

The court heard evidence similar to what Visser testified in her trial, which she faced alone after Prinsloo skipped bail and fled to Russia in 2006. Visser was found guilty on 11 charges last year.

He said Vasily was scared that he could be killed if he returned, but he feared imprisonment for "crimes I did not commit".

So the couple decided to move to Belarus, neighbouring Russia, to start a new life.

The necklace Vasily claimed that he had stolen was one he had bought for Visser, Prinsloo said.

But their relationship deteriorated because of the South African court case, so he never gave it to her and instead took it to Russia to sell.

He claimed that he was on the brink of bankruptcy because of the trial in his home country.

Judge Vasily Petriv asked how he got the necklace, valued at nearly E5 000, into Russia.

Prinsloo said his bags were checked, but no one questioned him about it.

According to Prinsloo, this necklace was very similar to the one three of his former girlfriends had described to police.

"There are many reasons why Svetla will lie about the necklace. She had an internet affair with a Swedish guy while pregnant with my son. It upset me very much. She and this guy knew that Interpol wanted me," Prinsloo said.

He added that although all the women claimed that he introduced himself as Michael Grant, an Australian businessman, at least two of them, including Vasily, had his real names tattooed on their private parts.

Prinsloo said Vasily and her Swedish boyfriend threatened to sell him out to Interpol if he demanded contact with his son.

He then dated Tatiana Leshko, who bore him a daughter. According to Prinsloo, Leshko acted as intermediary between him and Vasily.

"I never knew Tatiana asked Svetla for money for me. I never got the money. I just one day heard Svetla is angry as I haven't paid her back, so she is laying this charge to get back at me," he said.

Prinsloo said Vasily was also upset that he gave the necklace to Leshko. He said the women gave the same description of the necklace, as they were guided by police.

Referring to the charges laid by Anastasia, Prinsloo said the time they lived together was the worst of his life.

"She is an extremely manipulative and possessive person. I made the mistake of having sex with her. She wanted it at least six times a day, and I didn't really want to have sex with her," Prinsloo said.

This was in stark contrast to Anastasia's evidence that Prinsloo saw himself as a god, and her as his slave.

He claimed that she, too, had his real names tattooed on her private parts, and his Interpol picture tattooed on her abdomen.

He kept contact with Leshko while in other relationships. When he moved back to Baranovichi, she found him a flat and paid for it.

Prinsloo felt that she betrayed him to police, as she knew of the bank robbery. Leshko testified that she never thought that he was serious, and would always feel guilty for not raising the alarm when she saw him entering the bank.

This 23-year-old woman testified that Prinsloo gave her the necklace to sell. Although the two tried to run a balloon business, she ended up running it alone while pregnant, as Prinsloo was spent hours in front of the computer.

"I knew he watched porn, but never child porn, that I know of. But after Ksenia, our daughter, was born, I had to keep working.

"One of the main reasons I broke up with him was because I was dissatisfied with his behaviour as a father."

Leshko said she would return from work to find Prinsloo in front of the computer, while Ksenia lay crying in the bedroom.

She learnt Prinsloo's true identity only after his arrest, she said.

However, there had been things that had made her wonder. "He would talk about the 'president' of Australia, or how he had fought in Angola. These things just did not make sense for someone who really came from Australia," she said after she had testified.

Over the past week Prinsloo and Judge Petriv locked horns several times.

Prinsloo wanted to cross-examine witnesses, which is done in South Africa, but is not permitted in Belarus.

The judge also felt that Prinsloo was argumentative, and warned him several times that he could be removed from court if he "continued to disrupt the court order".

This happened on Thursday. But Prinsloo was back in court - in the cage that serves as the dock for alleged dangerous criminals - on Friday.

After Prinsloo claimed that he had been tortured by police and that the women were told what to testify, Petriv ordered an investigation. In addition, some witnesses who had been summonsed did not attend the trial. The judge ordered that they be brought to court on January 26, when the trial resumes.

Source:ol.co.za/

Belarus defender Dmitry Verkhovtsov desperate to join Celtic

Tony Mowbray met Dmitry Verkhovtsov yesterday to get the measure of the Belarus defender he can purchase for £500,000, but the Celtic manager has warned that his January transfer window activity will not be conducted at the expense of selling his title ambitions short.

Mowbray is eager to trim the Celtic squad, not only to allow fringe players to find first-team football elsewhere, but to free up wages that can be made available to new recruits. However, he insisted yesterday that his aim is to “balance” the financial and football aspirations.

So while 23-year-old Verkhovstov, who trained with Celtic yesterday at their Lennoxtown complex after arriving from Belarus on Sunday, could conclude a deal that sees the 12-times capped centre back move from Naftan Novopolotsk, Mowbray is in no mood to offload players with the Clydesdale Bank Premier League championship still a potential prize.

Numerous suitors are keen on his players, notably Aiden McGeady, who was linked with Everton on Sunday, and Arthur Boruc, the Poland goalkeeper, who is of interest to Tottenham Hotspur. Gary Caldwell is also a signing target for Gordon Strachan, the man who took him to Celtic Park and is now Barry Robson, Scott McDonald, Paul Caddis and Chris Killen are also reported to interest several English sides.

Mowbray said yesterday, however: “It’s a wait-and-see scenario. It’s about balancing your squad, and balancing what comes in as opposed to what might go out.

“We have to make sure we don’t leave any gaping holes in the squad and that all areas are covered for injuries or fatigue or suspension. There will be inquiries for some of our players, of course. But we will decide when the other people come in if we let them go out or not.”

Mowbray has just purchased Ki Sung Yueng, the South Korea midfield player, for £2 million from FC Seoul and Verkhovtsov hopes that he will be next. The Belarus defender said: “I’m confident the deal will go through. I’ll need a work visa, but I’m sure it will be OK.”

The area in his team that Mowbray is most keen to improve is central defence. Caldwell is in the last six months of his contract and has not signed a new deal, prompting the belief that Celtic will try to obtain a fee for him now. That is why Mowbray is also assessing Matthew Kilgallon, Sheffield United’s central defender, whose situation mirrors Caldwell’s in that the 25-year-old is free to sign a pre-contract agreement from Friday, and the Coca-Cola Championship club may also opt to receive some compensation now.

Verkhovstov caught Celtic’s eye when he played for his country in their World Cup qualifying ties with England. He will train this week with Celtic’s squad before the Old Firm derby but would not be eligible to play against Rangers even if a deal went through on January 1.

“I’m delighted to be here and I hope everything will go well this week,” he said. “I want to play for Celtic and I believe I can make a difference. I’m strong in the air and two-footed. This is the chance of my life — and I want to sign for Celtic as quickly as possible.

“I know Celtic are one of the two biggest teams in Scotland and they always play in Europe. It is my dream to play for them. I am looking forward to meeting the players and hearing about the club’s plans for the future.

Verkhovtsov is rumoured to be attracting interest from clubs in Russia, Germany and Ukraine but said: “Celtic are my first choice.”

Mowbray also wants to acquire, Olivier Giroud, the striker from Tours, the French club, but has also stated an interest in Florin Costea, a 24-year-old Romania striker rated at £2 million by his club, Universitatea Craiova.

In addition, Lech Poznan, of Poland, have asked Celtic to make their bid for Semir Stilic, a long-time midfield target. Stilic is a Bosnian valued at £1.5 million.

“What we hope to do in January is add players to help the squad and to help the existing players and not necessarily replace them,” Mowbray said. “We have been working very hard in the last few months to identify footballers and areas of the team which need strengthening and that continues, but there are no guarantees that we will bring in anyone other than Ki.”

Source:timesonline.co.uk/