Ex-soldier’s daughter tells of alleged abuse

“If a dog is in his way, he will kick it.”

This is how a Port Elizabeth woman described her father, former soldier Trevor Nel, in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court on Friday, where he was applying for bail after his arrest for allegedly assaulting his daughter.

Made to march as punishment, perform drill exercises late into the night or watch helplessly as he allegedly killed their family pet with a spade, Maritza Barnard, 35, broke down as she described the hellish circumstances in which she and her sister allegedly grew up.

“I’m begging this court not to let him out,” she said.

Nel, 57, was arrested on October 21, after he allegedly pushed Barnard to the ground, tried to throttle her and allegedly hit her with a brick at the family smallholding in Colleen Glen.

Her cellphone on which she was trying to record Nel allegedly assaulting her mother, Janice  — which she claims then set him off — was also smashed during the scuffle.

The court ordered that, due to the evidence presented, it was best  to refer Nel to a district surgeon for observation.

Only then would a decision on bail be made.

Nel, who represented himself in court and cross-examined his daughter from the dock, denied the allegations, calling Barnard a liar.

With a headband pushing back his long, grey hair, Nel looked agitated as Barnard answered questions from the court.

Nel is a former psychiatric patient.

“The abuse started when I was in [grade 2]," Barnard said.

“While growing up, if he did not get his way, he would make me and my sister march up and down and do exercises to punish my mother.

“I would do more sport at school just to stay away from home for longer.”

She said something as simple as his bread being buttered incorrectly would allegedly set him off.

Plates would be smashed as a result and people could hear his yelling from 500m away, she claimed.

“If he can’t hurt you, he will land up hurting something you love.

“He once broke my fish tank ... the fish fell to the ground.”

She alleged he stabbed her sister’s dog, Lollie, with a spade in the neck, and shot their sheepdog.

Police often arrived at the premises following complaints, she said.

“If a dog is in the way, he will kick it.

“If you are in his way, he will attack you.

“That is the type of person he is,” she said.

No stranger to run-ins with the law, Nel has grabbed headlines on numerous occasions.

In 2012, he threatened members of the Animal Welfare Society who went to his premises after complaints about animal abuse.

In 1995, he stood trial after he shot dead army legal officer Captain Marius Bezuidenhout during an argument at the EP Command army base.

He was declared unfit to stand trial and spent two years at the Fort England Psychiatric Hospital in Makhanda.

Bezuidenhout had been due to defend him in a military disciplinary inquiry.

But, Nel told the court on Friday, he was simply a very straightforward person.

“If you throw a stompie [cigarette butt] down, I will tell you to pick it up.

“Don’t dirty SA.”

At times the court had to remind him to stick to the issues at hand.

He said the animals on the farm were “crazy” about him, even the wild animals and baboons.

He said his daughters had to make an appointment if they wanted to visit the smallholding.

The case was postponed to Monday for the surgeon’s report.