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Woensdag, 13 Mei 2026 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | e-pos: nuus@tygerburger.co.za | Website: www.tygerburger.co.za
THERAPY DOG PROGRAMME GETS TRIAL RUN DURING SENSITIVE CASE
Toffee lends a paw at court I
n a quiet courtroom in the Western Cape High Court, history was made not by a judge or lawyer, but by a gentle golden retriever named Toffee. As a 14-year-old boy prepared to testify against his own father in the rape and murder trial of 8-year-old Daniel Jamneck, the 3-year-old therapy dog lay calmly beside him, offering silent reassurance during one of the most traumatic moments of the child’s life. The April 2026 testimony marked the first time a therapy dog had accompanied a child witness in a South African criminal court, a breakthrough many child-trauma specialists hope could transform how vulnerable children experience the justice system. For the teenager, who was present at the scene of Daniel’s death in Peerless Park North, Kraaifontein, in June 2023, the court appearance was more than just giving evidence. It meant revisiting a traumatic night while speaking publicly against his father, who is facing charges of murder, rape and sexual assault. Daniel was found dead in the accused's bed following a sleepover in Kraaifontein in Cape Town on 15 June 2023. Toffee doggedly remained by the teenager's side as this was related to the court. A COURTROOM FIRST BORN FROM YEARS OF ADVOCACY The idea of therapy dogs supporting child witnesses has long been used in countries such as the United States, but South Africa had yet to take that step. For Edith Kriel, executive director of
SPECIALISTS HOPE BREAKTHROUGH WILL CHANGE HOW CHILDREN EXPERIENCE JUSTICE SYSTEM the Jelly Beanz Foundation, it had been a dream decades in the making. “I have worked in the child protection sector now for 32 years and across my whole career I’ve to some extent worked within the sexual offences courts.” She said major improvements have been made over the years to make courts less intimidating for children, including childfriendly rooms and intermediaries who help facilitate testimony. “But the reality is that if you’re a kid and you’ve experienced something really traumatic, when you go back to court in a strange environment… you have to sit down and think like a video in your head of that traumatic experience and then put that into words. “You’re also sometimes asked to defend your answers or made to feel like you’re not telling the truth. Kids have a really hard time.” Kriel believes therapy dogs can bridge that emotional gap. “The role of a therapy dog during testifying is really to create a sense of safety for the child, a sense of ‘I’ve got somebody on my side’. “This beautiful animal is here with me. They’re not judging me when I tell the stories of all the yucky things that happened to me. They just think I’m amazing.” TO PAGE 2
Gentle golden retriever Toffee is South Africa’s first therapy dog to accompany a child witness during testimony in a criminal court.
STORM LEAVES ANIMAL RESCUE IN NEED OF HELP PAGE 3
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