Young South African singer Robbie Klay on Tuesday has described in detail to the High Court in Pretoria how fellow singer and New Zealand resident Jurie Els allegedly started molesting him when he was 11.
Els -- who lives in Christchurch but has returned to South Africa for the trial -- has pleaded not guilty to two charges of indecently assaulting Klay and a charge of soliciting Klay to commit indecent acts while he was under the age of 16.
Klay, 23, started singing at the age of five and testified that in 1997 Els offered him and his mother a recording contract with the record company where Els worked, the South African Press Association reported.He and his mother initially visited Els together at his home to work on his repertoire, but he soon started visiting Els alone and ended up spending nights with the singer at his home in Garsfontein.
Klay said Els encouraged him to visit internet sex sites and eventually began sexually abusing him.Els and his wife, former Springbok high jumper Hestrie Cloete, returned to Pretoria a week ago from New Zealand for the high-profile trial, due to start this week.
Formerly a popular Afrikaans singer in South Africa, Els and his wife moved to New Zealand in 2007, just before Klay made public allegations about the singer.The trial continues.
