Casefile True Crime - Case 213: The Noordhoek 'Ripper Rapists'

Episode Date: May 28, 2022

It was around 2:30 am on Sunday, December 18 1994, when a group of friends stumbled across the bloody and brutalised body of a young woman, lying in the middle of a road in Gqeberha, South Africa. She was the latest victim of Frans Du Toit and Theuns Kruger; two men who the press would come to dub The Noordhoek ‘Ripper Rapists’. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn This episode's sponsors: ShipStation – Try ShipStation FREE for 60 days with promo code ‘CASEFILE’ BetterHelp – Get 10% off your first month of professional counselling with a licensed therapist For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-213-the-noordhoek-ripper-rapists

Is it me or do you have a good ear? Maybe it's just an impression, but the song likes to relax the sound of people who talk to you about super captivating topics for hours. It sounds good, because I have something really interesting for you. The first mobility service by subscription to the country offered by the mobile audience. Yes, of course. At Star, you can subscribe to your 5G forfeiture without being attached. Mobile audience.

To you, the difference. Or on our website. Winding around South Africa's eastern Cape Coastline is Marine Drive, a road that leads to some of the most popular beaches in Kabeha, known in the 1990s as Port Elizabeth. West of the city, Marine Drive extends into the rural outskirts where buildings are scarce. On one side of the road is the ocean, on the other is low, sprawling bushland. At 2.30am on Sunday, December 18, 1994,

two cars abruptly stopped along this dark and lonely stretch of Marine Drive, one vehicle in front of the other. Each driver had slammed on their respective brakes before their passengers scrambled out to observe what lay before them. Illuminated by the car's high beams was a woman covered in dirt and dust, lying face down in the middle of the road. She was completely naked except for a denim shirt that was bunched around her stomach. A large pool of blood had formed beneath her head,

the cause of which soon became clear. Her neck had been slashed from ear to ear. Music Just over an hour and a half earlier, a yellow Renault had pulled into a free parking space on Deer Street in Cabera's central neighbourhood. Inside the Renault was a 27-year-old woman with long, dark hair. She lived in an apartment a short distance away, but as her usual parking spot right out the front of her building wasn't available,

she was forced to drive further on to find another. The street was dark and quiet as she turned off her car's engine and headlights before reaching over to the passenger seat to scoop up a pile of clean laundry. All of a sudden, the driver's side door swung open. A man leaned into the car and held a long, thin knife to the woman's throat. He was in his mid-20s and was skinny and tall with long hair. In a hushed voice he said, Move over or I'll kill you.

The woman did as ordered, sliding across to the passenger seat with the laundry bundled in her arms. The knife-wielding man followed behind, climbing into the driver's seat and turning the key in the ignition to start up the car. Don't worry, I don't want to hurt you. I just want to use your car for an hour, he told the terrified woman. Then he asked, What's your name? Susan, the woman answered. The man gave his own name in response.

Clinton Susan asked to be released, explaining that her boyfriend was waiting for her at home and telling Clinton he could take the car without her. No, Clinton replied. I want company. I have to find this friend of mine who stole my TV and he owes me money. They drove in silence for several minutes towards Main Street where the city was still at buzz with nightlife. Clinton pulled up near a nightclub named Club Tonight. Patrons were spilling out onto the street where cabs were lined up ready to take them home.

As Clinton stared at the crowd, he grew increasingly irritated. Eventually, he pulled away. He proceeded to drive up and down Main Street and several other side roads until he finally spotted a man. Clinton brought the Renault to a stop and the man walked over and clambered into the vehicle's back seat. Meet my friend Susan, Clinton said, before introducing the man he'd picked up. This is Tianz. Clinton headed south towards Summerstrand, an area home to a stretch of beaches popular with locals and tourists alike. All three of the car's occupants sat in silence as he drove slowly.

Soon, they were at the city's outer limits in a seaside town called North Hook. The last of the buildings and streetlights gave way to a dark road bordered by trees and shrubs. Clinton kept driving until they reached a sizeable clearing in the foliage. He drove off the road through the clearing onto some sand that led to the beach. Clinton kept manoeuvring the car until they were on more solid ground at a site where campfires had previously been burned and rubbish was left scattered about. There were beer cans, empty wine gardens and smashed bottles everywhere. Clinton parked the car, then asked Susan how to turn off its lights. She switched them off while Tianz got out of the back seat to take a walk around outside.

As Susan and Clinton sat alone in the Renault, she asked him, Now what? Clinton turned to face her and said, I thought you would have realized we want sex. Susan said she hadn't and Clinton asked if she was going to put up a fight. Susan paused, then replied, No. After raping Susan, Clinton called Tianz back to the car. Then Tianz raped Susan as well.

Afterwards, Clinton remarked, If we take you into town now, you are going to go to the police. Susan insisted that she wouldn't, but Clinton said he didn't believe her. He forced Susan to remove some rings she was wearing and Tianz promptly slid them onto his own fingers. The two men then taunted Susan, telling her that they would leave her in the isolated area naked and alone. One asked, What do you think old Nick would want us to do with her? The other replied, I think he wants us to kill her. In a swift movement, Clinton leapt on top of Susan and began to strangle her. When she begged him not to kill her, Clinton said sorry while continuing to choke her.

Susan lost consciousness and the two men dragged her body from the vehicle onto the ground below. Tianz asked Clinton if she was dead. Let's find out, he replied. He began to repeatedly stab Susan's abdomen with the knife he'd threatened her with earlier, until part of her small intestine was protruding from the wound. Susan let out a slight rasping sound and Tianz sprang into action, using a larger knife he was carrying to slash at her neck. Clinton soon pushed his accomplice aside and took over, cutting and slashing at Susan's throat over and over until her head was almost severed from her neck. The two men then rummaged through Susan's laundry and other personal belongings looking for anything of value. Finding little they cared for, they tossed most of it over her body. Then they got into her Renault and drove away.

The attack marked a murderous shift in an already violent spree that was being committed by the nautical gripper rapist. Ten months earlier in February of 1994, a 20-year-old student was sitting in a car observing a pizzeria in Caberra's central neighbourhood. Rachel, not her real name, had borrowed the car from her mother to drive to the takeaway restaurant as she had a job to do. She worked part-time for another local pizzeria and her employers had tasked her with spying on the rival restaurant to see how many customers went in and the amount of pizzas they ordered. They wanted to know what their competition's trade was like. Rachel took out a pen and paper to make a note each time somebody walked inside. She hadn't been there long when a man appeared by the driver's side window. He was white, skinny and rather tall, with light blonde hair and a thin face. In one hand, he held a pistol.

The man yanked open the car door and demanded Rachel move over to the passenger seat. Terrified, she did as she was told. The man took her place behind the wheel and began to drive. He took Rachel out of the city, heading south and then west along the coastline. After about 20 minutes, when they reached the town of Northook, the man stopped and parked the car. He sexually assaulted Rachel, then raped her. Afterwards, he drove her to a nearby roadhouse where he bought her a sandwich and a rose. The man chatted to Rachel in an intimate manner as though they were romantically involved. Then he raped her again. The ordeal lasted about three hours, after which the man drove Rachel back to the city. As he exited the car, he told her that she was an amazing person. He hoped she would let him, quote, make it up to her sometime.

Then, he disappeared into the night. Rachel managed to get herself back home but was too scared and traumatized to tell her parents what had happened. It would take her a week before she was able to speak of the abduction and rapes to a friend who encouraged her to go to the police. It didn't take long for investigators to track down Rachel's alleged rapist. Franz Dutoy was a truck driver and married father of one with another baby on the way. At 26 years old, he had a troubled past and this wasn't his first brush with the law. Although Rachel was able to identify Dutoy as her assailant after seeing his mugshot, by the time she came forward, it was too late to put together a rape kit. Dutoy was still charged but because there was no forensic evidence available and he had a steady job as well as a fixed address where he lived with his wife, the laws of the time dictated that he must be released on bail.

Months later, Franz Dutoy struck again. On the evening of Sunday, December 4, 1994, 21-year-old Caroline, not her real name, headed out to go to a corner store when Dutoy suddenly appeared out of nowhere. But this time he wasn't alone. With him was his neighbour and friend, 19-year-old Tianz Kruger. Dutoy and Kruger threatened Caroline with a handgun before abducting and raping her. They taunted the young woman, saying they would kill her and leave her body naked and abandoned. Caroline, who was pregnant and in her first trimester, begged them to let her live and they eventually took off into the night. Caroline quickly reported the attack to police.

Franz Dutoy and Tianz Kruger were promptly found and arrested. The two seemed entirely unfazed by the charges against them. Kruger considered the entire thing to be a big joke and even burst out laughing multiple times throughout the booking process. He and Dutoy both appeared in the magistrates court the following morning. It was so early in the investigation that a specific officer hadn't been assigned to handle the case yet. Even though this second attack took place in the same area where Dutoy had abducted Rachel, the two had been arrested by a different squad and taken to another police station. Due to this, the prosecutor who stood in the courtroom that day had no idea that Dutoy was already out on bail for a previous violent rape. This oversight meant that once again Franz Dutoy was granted bail and so was his younger accomplice.

Almost two weeks later on Saturday, December 17, Dutoy and Kruger were stalking their previous hunting ground of Central in search of another victim. Both men were buzzing after spending the afternoon getting through nine bottles of beer and a two and a half litre bottle of sherry. By the afternoon, their thoughts had turned once again to finding a woman to harm. Specifically, they sought a victim who was driving a nice car so they could steal it afterwards. At around 12.30pm, they spotted a woman who was in the process of parking her car. The two men approached the vehicle and Dutoy attempted to pull open the driver's side door. But he glanced away for a split second and the woman quickly managed to lock herself in. After realizing they wouldn't be able to abduct her, Dutoy and Kruger ran from the scene.

For hours they paced the city on the lookout for another target. When they couldn't find any, Kruger grew impatient and annoyed. He told Dutoy that he was going to head to a nightclub. If Dutoy managed to capture a suitable woman, he should come and find him later. Undeterred, Dutoy continued walking the streets, his eyes peeled for a woman alone in a vehicle. At around 1am, he headed along Deer Street, a quiet side road that ran through Central and was dotted with apartment buildings. Suddenly, he spotted a small yellow Renault pulling into a free parking space. Dutoy recognized the young woman driving.

He didn't know her name, but he had seen her many times before as he stalked the neighborhood, parking that same car and walking into a nearby apartment. Her vehicle was old and not what he'd been hoping for. Dutoy wanted to drive his victim back to North Hook, the same isolated location where he'd attacked Rachel earlier in the year. North Hook was a fair distance out of the city and the Renault looked as though it could break down at any moment. Still, Dutoy decided to strike. He made his way over to the Renault through the darkness. The street lamps were easy enough to avoid and numerous parked cars along the street provided cover. Dutoy reached the Renault's driver's side door just as the woman cut the engine and turned off the car's lights.

Dutoy yanked open the driver's side door. This time, he was carrying a knife. Forcing his captive to slide over into the passenger seat, Dutoy got behind the wheel and drove off. He introduced himself using the fake name Clinton and she said her name was Susan. Dutoy headed to the nightclub that Tian's Kruger had intended to visit and eventually found him on a side street. Susan was driven out into the rural outskirts where both Dutoy and Kruger raped her. Afterwards, the pair emboldened each other to take the next step in their violent spree. They took turns stabbing Susan before cutting her throat multiple times to the point of near-decapitation. They drove back to the city in Susan's Renault.

Neither spoke throughout the entire journey and Dutoy threw his knife into some bushes. Kruger kept his knife. They abandoned the Renault around the corner from Dutoy's apartment, then headed home to drink more beer and get some sleep. Dutoy and Kruger woke at around 11am excited by the thought that they'd committed murder. They wanted to claim another victim soon, but this time they would carry out their plot slightly differently. They would abduct and kill a woman, then throw her body off a bridge that Dutoy was familiar with. The pair chatted as they prepared their breakfast. Kruger used the same knife he had cut Susan's throat with to butter his bread.

Some of Susan's blood was still visible on the blade, which Kruger pointed out gleefully. Yet, their plans were interrupted the following day. At around 5am, there was a loud pounding on the front door of Dutoy's apartment. He and Kruger were both inside sleeping. When they answered the knocking, they saw two police officers standing outside. The officers made no mention of Susan or her murder, instead telling the pair they wanted to question them about a recent rape. A confident Dutoy and Kruger went without struggle. Dutoy and Kruger were placed into separate holding cells at the police headquarters,

and some time later, Melvin Humphill, a senior investigating officer, arrived to interview them. He decided to speak with Tian's Kruger first and escorted the younger suspect to his office. Humphill asked Kruger to take a seat. He appeared completely disinterested when the officer read him his rights. Then, Humphill informed Kruger that he was being investigated on two different charges, one of rape and one of attempted murder. Surprised, Kruger glanced up at the officer as he processed what he was saying and asked, Attempted murder? Why attempted murder? I have news for you, Melvin Humphill replied.

Your last victim survived. She's talking and remembers everything. At around 2.30am on Sunday, December 18, Tian Eilard drove his combivan along Marine Drive, following behind his friend's BMW. The two carloads of friends had just wrapped up a beach holiday with a visit to a nightclub and were heading back to the caravan park where they were camping. Suddenly, Tian's friend up ahead hit the brakes and came to a stop. Then he flicked on his car's hazard lights. As Tian slowed behind him, he wondered what had caused his friend to stop in the middle of the road. Perhaps there was an injured pedestrian or animal up ahead. Some of Tian's friends in the BMW got out and looked at something on the road in front of the car. One of them began screaming in terror and ran over to Tian's vehicle.

She told him that someone was hurt on the ground and Tian needed to help. As a veterinary science student, Tian had some knowledge of anatomy and medicine. He jumped out and ran over to the spot his friend indicated. The BMW's headlights had cast a spotlight on a dishevelled woman lying on the road, naked except for a denim shirt pressed to her abdomen. Her head was facing away from them and blood had pulled beneath it. Tian could hear the woman breathing in heavy gasps. Tian knelt beside the woman and took her hand. It wasn't until he was facing her that he saw the huge wound around the base of her neck near the collarbone.

It was so deep and so wide that Tian could see the muscles and veins inside. Tian made eye contact with the woman, who looked terrified. He spoke to her in soothing tones as he checked her pulse and removed his shirt, then used it to apply gentle pressure to her neck wound. Her thyroid had also been cut in two and part of it was sticking out. Tian tucked it back inside the wound to keep it moist. The entire time he chatted with the woman, encouraging her to stay conscious, asking her what had happened and reassuring her that help was on the way. She was unable to speak so she communicated with Tian by squeezing his hand. Even though it was 1994, one of Tian's friends had a mobile phone and was able to call for an ambulance.

It took more than two hours for it to finally arrive. Doctors and nurses at the hospital were alarmed to see the state that the woman was in. She had received more than 30 stab wounds to the abdomen and her throat was slashed 17 times. All of the main veins in her neck had been cut, along with the trachea, thyroid and anterior muscles. But she had survived because her attackers missed her main arteries. Her aorta and larynx were also undamaged, which was how she was still able to breathe. Extreme blood loss had put her in a state of shock that prevented her from feeling any pain. Despite her life-threatening injuries, she remained conscious and was even able to sign an intake form.

Her name was Allison and she was 27 years old. Allison even managed to write down her mother's phone number so she could be contacted. A doctor performed emergency surgery, reconnecting Allison's muscles and stitching her neck back together. The wound to her abdomen had resulted in her entire small intestine becoming exposed. This organ had to be carefully and meticulously cleaned in saline solution as dirt, leaves and sand that had collected on it could cause infection. The doctor then stitched up cuts that the organ had received before putting it back inside Allison and closing up her second wound. By 8.35 am on Sunday December 18, 7.5 hours after Allison was abducted, her surgery was complete. The fact that Allison had survived her devastating injuries amazed hospital staff and law enforcement.

But her incredible story of survival was shocking. Allison told police of her abduction at Knife Point as she sat in her car a short distance away from her apartment. She briefly considered opening the door and leaping out but felt frozen in place. Her abductor introduced himself as Clinton. Not wanting to tell him her real name, Allison told him she was called Susan. She also said that she had a boyfriend at home waiting for her, but this was a lie she hoped would compel her abductor to release her. Instead, he drove her into the city and also picked up a younger man named Tianz. He seemed angrier and more volatile than his older accomplice.

Still, Allison was willing to believe the man just wanted the car. When Clinton announced that the pair intended to rape Allison, she knew her best chance of survival lay in not putting up a fight. Throughout the ordeal, Allison repeatedly told herself, he's doing this to your body but not to you. He can't touch you. At one stage, Tianz referred to Clinton as Franz, which Allison realized must be his real name. They also mentioned another person, Old Nick, but Allison knew that was a nickname for Satan. She made a mental note to remember her attackers' names while simultaneously reassuring them that she wouldn't go to the police. Franz and Tianz didn't believe her. Franz launched himself on Allison and began strangling her. She begged him not to kill her, and he apologized, but continued. Then, everything went dark.

Allison lost consciousness. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the ground. Franz stood over her, his arm moving back and forth as he repeatedly cut her neck. Allison felt nothing but could hear the sound of the knife meeting her skin. Eventually, Franz stopped and walked away. Allison could hear him talking in a low voice with his accomplice. Despite the violent attack she'd endured, Allison felt extremely alert and aware of everything going on around her. When she heard a strange grumbling noise, she soon realized that was coming from her own throat. It was the sound of her breathing through her wound. Unable to control her breath, she stuck her hand inside the injury to muffle the noise and prevent Franz and Tianz from realizing she was still alive. Do you think she's dead, one of the men asked? No one can survive that, said the other confidently. Then they got into her car and drove away.

Convinced that she would die, Allison was determined to leave a final message behind. She used a finger to write the names Franz and Tianz in the sand. Beneath that, she traced the words, I love mum. Allison then began to feel as though she were floating out of her own body and hovering above it. She could look down and see herself crumpled and bleeding on the ground, but she felt light and peaceful. Despite what had been done to her, Allison felt a soothing presence and knew she was being asked a crucial question. Did she want to return to her body and fight? Realizing there was still so much she wanted to do with her life, Allison knew that she did. A moment later, she was back in her body. Allison forced herself up onto her hands and knees.

Feeling something wet and slippery on her abdomen, she looked down and realized that she had been stabbed there as well. Some of her intestines had fallen out of the wound. Allison couldn't hold them in as they kept slipping out of her arms, so she found a denim shirt that her attackers had thrown on the ground. Allison wrapped the shirt around her intestines and held it against her body. Slowly she began to crawl along the ground towards the road they had driven in from. Allison still felt no pain. Her knees and hands suffered cuts from the broken glass on the ground, and her head felt wobbly and unstable due to the repeated cuts to her neck. After crawling about 15 meters into a clearing, Allison collapsed.

Driven by the thought of how devastated her loved ones would be if she died, she forced herself to keep moving. Allison tried to stand, realizing that walking would be faster than crawling. But when she did, the gaping wound to her neck caused her head to tip backwards until it nearly touched her shoulder blades. With one hand still clutching the shirt to her abdomen, she used the other hand to pull her head forwards. Then she began walking. Sometimes she tripped over, but she would always force herself up again. Allison stumbled through the bush and vegetation until she finally spotted Marine Drive, the wide road they had driven in from. She found a spot in the middle of the road where she would be visible to any passing motorists and lay down there.

After a little while, she heard a car approaching, though she couldn't see it as her face was turned the other way. As it drew nearer to Allison, it slowed down to a stop, its headlights shining brightly on her. Allison waved urgently, but no one got out of the vehicle. After what felt like a long time, the car was put into drive again and swerved around Allison's body before continuing on and disappearing into the darkness. Allison felt as though she had just lost her last chance of survival. Until Tiana Eilard and his friends happened upon her as they drove along Marine Drive towards the Caravan Park where they were staying. When news of the attack and Allison's seemingly miraculous survival made newspaper headlines, flowers and gifts flooded in from all over South Africa. Police sprang into action upon being notified of the rape and attempted murder.

Nadia Swannapool was a young officer familiar with Franz Dutoy and Tiana Kruger and knew the two were out on bail for raping another young woman just two weeks earlier. Suspecting that Dutoy and his younger accomplice could be behind Allison's attack, Officer Swannapool headed to the hospital on Sunday December 18 armed with a photo album full of mug shots. She flicked through the pages showing Allison hundreds of different photographs of various suspects. When Officer Swannapool reached one particular page, Allison's eyes were immediately drawn to a headshot near the bottom. She recognized the man featured instantly. It was Franz Dutoy. The following morning at 5am, Officer Swannapool and her partner arrested both men at Dutoy's apartment. Once Dutoy and Kruger were in custody, senior investigating officer Melvin Humple was caught upon to interrogate them. He decided to speak to 19-year-old Kruger first.

The two sat in Melvin Humple's office. Kruger looked bored as the detective read him his rights, but his demeanor changed entirely when he heard that Allison had survived and remembered everything. Visibly terrified, he said, oh fuck, then it won't even help if I lie. Kruger pulled some rings he was wearing off his fingers, dropped them on the detective's desk and stated, there, here are her rings. Then, he began to talk. Tian's Kruger's life had always been difficult. He was raised by his mother and his abusive stepfather in the town of Sundriff. As a child, Kruger often ran away from his troubled home and sought solace in the town's black community, which was kind to him. South Africa was still under apartheid at the time, and some of the local white residents were angry at Kruger for mixing with the black population.

He was ostracized by them as a result. Kruger eventually left school to join the army. He later said that in 1993, while completing his national service, he was called to deal with a riot. Kruger claimed that when a woman involved in the riot swore at the police, he'd responded by shooting her in the head. In 1994, Kruger began working as a security guard and moved in with his aunt in Kabeha. He said he was disappointed that he hadn't died during his army service, as one of his friends had, and during a botched suicide attempt, he accidentally shot himself in the foot with a rifle. It was while he was recovering from this injury that he met Franz Dutoy. Dutoy's life was one with little direction or purpose. Like Kruger, he had served in the military during his youth and spent a year and a half fighting on the country's border with Namibia, which was then under South African administration. After Dutoy's service was up, his father, who was a policeman, found him a job at a mine.

Dutoy only worked there briefly, before moving on again. By the 1990s, Dutoy was living a transient lifestyle, moving from city to city and working menial jobs. He wound up in Kabeha, where he married his second wife in 1993. She was in the early stages of pregnancy when Dutoy abducted and raped Rachel in February of 1994. Four months later, Dutoy met Tian's Kruger when the teenager started purchasing booze from an unlicensed venue Dutoy ran. Soon they were drinking together regularly and bonding over common ground. As Kruger confided in Dutoy about his struggles, Dutoy offered his young friend an alternative path. He claimed that although he had been raised by parents who devoutly practiced Christianity, he had discovered another faith during his adolescence.

It all started when he fell into our quote, bad crowd, kids who he said were cannabis-smoking hippies and surfers. Then, Dutoy started listening to heavy metal music, which he would later say held subliminal messages. When he burnt down a building, he blamed his actions on the messages he'd absorbed through the music. This incident led to Dutoy's expulsion from school and he was soon enrolled in another one. One day, he was sitting on a train when he met a young woman who also attended his new school. Supposedly, she was the head witch of a local coven and Dutoy believed she had supernatural powers. He insisted that he had witnessed her channeled demons and that as they spoke through her, her voice changed from being feminine to one that was deep and masculine. Dutoy said he began to put faith in these supposed demons.

Dutoy introduced Tian's Kruger to his beliefs, telling him he was part of a notorious Satanist group that met regularly under a nearby bridge. This bridge was infamous in Kibbehar as a place where people would go to take their own lives. When Dutoy told Kruger about the power of demons, Kruger said that he would like some of that power for himself. Dutoy then nicknamed his younger companion Damien, a nod to the antagonist in the film The Omen, who is characterized as the son of Satan. The pair began heading out on midnight trips to visit St. Mary Cemetery, the city's oldest graveyard. They would steal statues from graves and burn black candles, often while drunk and high. Sometimes they were joined by others. On one occasion, Kruger was teased by the rest of the group who said he would never desecrate a grave.

He responded by taking a hammer and smashing a headstone, while swearing at the person who was buried below. Kruger despised most other people. He had no respect for anyone, especially those who tried to, quote, force religion down my throat. He sought escape through drugs and alcohol, and took to walking the streets late at night as a way to calm down. Dutoy joined him one night in early December, and the pair carried out their first rape together. Kruger would later say that he felt nothing throughout this entire attack. Dutoy initially intended to make good on his threat to murder the woman, but he's urged to kill a baited after he raped her. Two weeks later, he wouldn't be as merciful towards Alison. Tian's Kruger gave a detailed confession about the attack he and his accomplice had inflicted on Alison.

When it was Franz Dutoy's turn to be interviewed, he was similarly stunned to learn that Alison was alive. That's impossible, she couldn't have survived, he said. A moment later, he spoke in a calm voice. Well then, I have to tell the whole truth. His confession confirmed everything that Kruger had admitted to. Neither man showed any sign of remorse. They were charged for Alison's rape and attempted murder. This time, they didn't receive bail. Friends of Alison's, including her boss and some ex-boyfriends, gathered at the magistrates' court to be present for the men's first appearance.

They shouted abuse as Dutoy and Kruger were led back to their cells, and one newspaper later reported that Dutoy had looked terrified during the altercation. The South African public was outraged by the horrific case. The country's rate of sexual violence ranked as one of the highest in the world, but rarely did a victim's ordeal become so public. The brutal nature of Alison's injuries and her survival against all the odds meant that her story made headlines across the nation. Journalists rang Alison and her mother constantly, hoping for an interview. Police discouraged Alison from going public in case it compromised the case, but she was eager to speak out. Eventually, once Alison was well enough to return home, she was permitted to give one reporter from the eastern province Herald a brief interview about her ongoing recovery. She also wrote an open letter that was published in the paper.

In it, Alison thanked everyone who had helped her for their care and support. Each one who sent flowers, gifts, cards, wishes, thoughts, prayers and love should know how they brought a smile to my face and an added warmth to my heart. I have life. Beautiful people. You have my heart. Alison's father also wrote a letter to the editor of the eastern province Herald, which was published in full on the paper's front page. He was devastated by what had happened to his daughter, and he openly criticized the country's bail laws that had allowed two violent predators to walk free and attack further victims. Before the trial against Franz Dutoy and Tiana Kruger could proceed to court, Alison was required to identify them both in person. Because the city's small police station did not have a room with a one-way mirror, Alison was told she would have to enter the room where the line-up was taking place and identify her attackers by placing her hand on their shoulders. The thought of having to do this terrified Alison. She refused to take part under those guidelines, and so a compromise was struck.

The line-up would take place in one of the station's smaller offices, which had a one-way petition. Alison would still have to stand in the same room as her attackers, but she would be partly hidden from them and wouldn't have to touch them. On Friday, March 3, 1995, almost three months after the attack, Alison made her way to the police station. She immediately picked out Dutoy and Kruger from a row of 14 men. Although both men had agreed to plead guilty, there would still be a trial with extensive witness testimony to determine their sentences. The men's police statements made their way to the media, and the fact that they blamed Satanism for leading them to commit their crimes had already been splashed across tabloid newspapers. The press dubbed them the nautical gripper rapists after the isolated location where they attacked Alison and another victim. One week before proceedings began, Franz Dutoy called a press conference at police headquarters, despite still being held on remand.

The conference was allowed to go forward, and Dutoy told attending journalists how he was officially renouncing his Satanic beliefs. He blamed his criminal behaviour on demonic possession and said he would undergo an exorcism prior to the trial. This announcement was treated as a publicity stunt by most people, including Dutoy's victims. The trial began on Monday, June 12, 1995. The woman who the men had tried to abduct almost 12 hours before they took Alison gave evidence, as did all three women who had been raped by them. The second victim, Caroline, had been in the early stages of pregnancy when she was attacked on December 4, 1994, and was almost at full term as she spoke in court. Dutoy and Kruger both testified in their own defence. They told the court of their troubled backgrounds and how they came to practice what they called Satanism. Dutoy claimed that since he was 15, he'd been possessed by a demon called Incubus, which made him irresistible to women.

He blamed Incubus for the rapes he had committed. Dutoy's wife Natalie was standing by her husband and attended court to support him. He attributed her loyalty to a spell he had cast, asking that she would never have the power to leave him. In 1992, the South African Police Service had established an occult-related crimes unit, due to the Satanic panic that was then sweeping the country. The Satanic panic was a moral panic that spread around the world during the late 20th century, but was particularly influential in South Africa, where belief in the occult was strong. An officer from the occult-related crimes unit spoke at the trial, refuting Dutoy's claims of demonic possession. He said Dutoy's clear recollection of his crimes meant he was entirely in control of his own actions. The officer also claimed that if Dutoy had been possessed, he would have raped his wife as well, but he hadn't.

While Dutoy seemed to enjoy the limelight and his newfound notoriety, Tian's Kruger was quieter. A clinical psychologist who had examined Kruger determined that the 19-year-old had borderline personality disorder and suffered from extremely low self-esteem. Franz Dutoy and Tian's Kruger were ultimately convicted of two counts of rape, two charges of indecent assault, two counts of abduction, attempted murder, and theft. During sentencing, the judge dismissed Dutoy's claims of demonic possession and sentenced him to three terms of life imprisonment. Kruger was given one count of life imprisonment for the crimes against Allison, plus 25 years for the second rape. The judge made it clear that while Kruger may have been influenced by his older accomplice, he still exhibited disturbing bloodlust. The judge concluded with one final decree, quote, I also make the following order.

It must be clear that if at any time in the future there is any consideration for parole, it was my intention that these two men be removed from society for the rest of their natural lives, and that they should spend it behind bars. Cheers echoed through the courtroom in response to the judge's words. As Dutoy and Kruger were being escorted out, Kruger slammed his hand against the wall and shouted, Here we go. Fuck you all. With both men convicted and sentenced, Allison was free to speak publicly about her ordeal. She was eager to do so in the hopes that her words might inspire other women who had been raped to come forward. Allison knew that many rape survivors were left with a feeling of shame and wanted to make it clear that they had nothing to be ashamed of. Allison gave an exclusive interview to a magazine titled You and also spoke on air with a local radio presenter.

When the male presenter told her he felt honored to speak with a rape survivor as he had never done so before, Allison responded, You don't know that. So many women are silent about it. At the same time that she was publicly advocating for survivors of rape, Allison was also going through a gruelling recovery. Even as her physical wounds began to heal, she was left with significant scarring that required reconstructive and plastic surgery. Too scared to return to the apartment where she'd been living at the time of the attack, Allison moved to a new one in a more secure complex. She also struggled with focusing at work and soon sank into a deep depression. One day, Allison received an invitation to give a talk about her experiences at a rotary club. Although public speaking made her nervous, she decided to accept the offer.

To her surprise, the talk went well. Soon she was accepting more opportunities to speak at other events. Allison found that speaking publicly about her attack helped her come to terms with it. Because she had to tell audiences what she had learnt through it all, she began to reflect more deeply on how she had survived. Encouraged by the positive feedback she received from those who attended her talks, Allison eventually embarked on a career as a motivational speaker. She won multiple awards for her bravery and would wind up travelling all over the world to share her story. When she married, she took her husband's surname of Buerta and became known by this name in the media. Allison also worked with author Marianne Tham to write a book about her experiences. It was published in 1998 under the title I Have Life.

In 2011, new legislation came into force in South Africa, which meant all prisoners who had been given life sentences prior to 2004 could apply for parole, providing they had already served at least 13 years and 4 months. Franz Dutoy and Tianz Kruger both fell under this category. The two applied for parole. Kruger appeared before his prison's parole board in December 2011 and was said to have boasted to fellow inmates that he would soon be free. Dutoy had his hearing the following month. Authorities did not notify Allison or the pair's other victims of this development and they were left to learn about the man's possible release via the media.

Allison was devastated. She believed that the judge's order at sentencing meant her attackers would never be freed. To her relief, neither man was given parole, but they were still permitted to reapply for it every two years. In August of 2015, Allison, who was now 47 years old, received a strange email from an American woman named Joyce. She was getting in touch with Allison because she was worried about her daughter Sabrina, who was 34. According to Joyce, Sabrina was engaged to Franz Dutoy, now aged 46, and wanted to travel to South Africa to help him with his next parole application. The pair had met via Facebook and communicated entirely online. Sabrina hadn't initially known that Dutoy was in prison.

When he told her what he was serving time for, Dutoy admitted to being a rapist but claimed he had no part in trying to kill Allison. That attack was entirely the fault of his accomplice, Tianz Kruger. He also said that the prison authorities were pleased with his progress and believed he was a changed man. When Sabrina's mother, Joyce, found out about the relationship, she contacted South Africa's Department of Correctional Services, but received no response. So she decided to reach out to Dutoy's soul-named victim, Allison Buerta. Joyce attached page after page of correspondence between Sabrina and Dutoy, which she'd obtained from her daughter's Facebook account. In his writings to Sabrina, Dutoy claimed that he'd organized for a woman to be raped after she accused him of killing her father. He'd also had another woman gang-raped by some men he called his boys.

Dutoy said he'd done all of this from behind bars. He made threats against people he wanted to harm when he was released and asked Sabrina for money. Dutoy also bragged about how he'd bribed prison officials into letting him have access to mobile phones. Allison was horrified and couldn't believe Dutoy was being allowed access to social media. She emailed a complaint to prison authorities who in turn forwarded it to Dutoy. Angered by the lack of regard being shown for her personal safety, Allison went to the media for help. Despite articles being published in the magazine You and Other Publications, Dutoy was still allowed to maintain multiple Facebook accounts. When Franz Dutoy heard that a South African film director named Uga Carlini was making a feature documentary about the attack against Allison and her survival,

he reached out and offered to be interviewed. But he made it clear that he had some conditions. First, he wanted a signed letter from Allison Werther saying that she had forgiven him. And second, he demanded a backdated share of the profits from Allison's motivational speaking career and book sales as he said she owed all of her success to his actions. Uga Carlini refused Dutoy's request. Her documentary titled Allison was released in 2016. Allison Werther's life wasn't the only one changed by what happened to her on December 17, 1994. Tiana Eilard, the man who helped save Allison by providing first aid, was so affected by the incident that he decided to become a doctor instead of a vet.

He and Allison have remained close throughout the years and in November 2006, when Allison gave birth to her second child, Tiana assisted with the delivery. Becoming a mother felt like a miracle to Allison. She was worried that she would never be able to have children due to the injuries she sustained during the attack, but she now has two sons. After Allison Werther's two attackers were convicted, she was given a small cardboard box filled with evidence that police had gathered from the crime scene. It contained her clothing and other personal belongings that had been dumped on the ground. For a long time, Allison kept the box at the back of a cupboard and refused to look inside. But a few years later, while working on her book with author Marianne Timm, she decided to do something with it. As described in the book I Have Life, Allison, Marianne and Allison's husband took the box back to the location where Allison was almost killed.

They went late at night so that the area looked exactly as Allison remembered it. She removed the bloodstained garments and other items then piled them on the ground. With her husband's help, Allison set fire to the belongings. As she watched them burn and then eventually saw the flames die out, Allison felt a sense of relief. Thanks for watching!