“They Jumped Into Bed With Me”: Farmer’s Defence in Au Pair Rape Trial

In the quiet, solemn space of the Makhanda High Court, a Karoo farmer accused of monstrous crimes painted a very different picture of himself. Not as a predator, but as a man pursued.

Louis Lategan, the 42-year-old from Aberdeen facing a litany of charges including rape and human trafficking, took the stand for the first time on Wednesday. His defence against the six women who accuse him of luring them to his farm under false pretences? He claims they were all more than willing.

“They jumped into bed with me,” was his blunt explanation, describing sexual encounters that he testified began, in some cases, on the very first night the young women arrived to work as caretakers for his two children.

A Chilling Dissonance in Court

The testimony created a stark dissonance. On one side, the state’s case, presented by prosecutor Nickie Turner, alleges a calculated scheme. Young women were recruited through agencies and social media, offered lucrative salaries to be au pairs, only to be drugged, locked in, and sexually assaulted upon arrival at his isolated farm.

On the other side sat Lategan, calm and collected, occasionally wiping tears, as he described what he called “making love.” He portrayed a world where professional boundaries dissolved instantly in a wave of mutual passion.

He spoke of the first complainant, whom he picked up in Bloemfontein. He claimed she kissed him repeatedly during the drive, forcing him to warn her about the dangers of distracting a driver. He described carrying her into his house in the dark, joking, “You may now kiss the bride,” before she allegedly undid his shirt.

A Pattern of Instant Intimacy

The story was similar for the second and third complainants he testified about. The narrative was consistent: the women initiated the first move, leading to immediate, consensual relationships. He framed his connection with the first woman as “long and happy,” until he claimed he discovered her past involvement with what he described as satanic cultsa shocking allegation he offered without evidence.

It was only when questioned by his lawyer, Advocate Gustav Joubert, about the son born to this woman, and the possibility of his paternity, that Lategan showed visible emotion, removing his glasses to wipe away tears.

The Backdrop of a Broken Home

Lategan’s testimony also provided a glimpse into his personal history, potentially building a context for the jury. He spoke of a childhood on the farm, a disinterest in school, and a marriage that hit a “very dry spell.” He claimed that by the time he “wiped his eyes,” his wife had moved on, eventually leaving the farm with their children.

Their divorce in October 2020 stipulated that his children could only visit if an au pair was presenta court order that directly created the circumstances for the hiring of the women now accusing him. This detail hangs over the trial, the very mechanism designed to protect his children now at the center of a horrific abuse scandal.

One of those women is no longer here to tell her side of the story. The third complainant later took her own life, though evidence linking Lategan to her suicide was ruled inadmissible.

As his testimony continues, the court is left to weigh two irreconcilable realities: that of a man caught in a series of ill-advised but consensual affairs, or that of a calculated manipulator who used the promise of a job to lure vulnerable women into a trap. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in the painful space between the words spoken in court.

{Source: IOL}

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