Wits lecturer hospitalised after Equality Court hate speech hearing

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hate_speechA senior Wits lecturer who sued his neighbour for allegedly making anti-LGBTI slurs against him was hospitalised following a strenuous court hearing.

Tim Trengove Jones, an English literature lecturer and cultural commentator, took the woman to the Equality Court after an altercation at their Killarney apartment complex in July.

Following a dispute about allowing a contractor to protect the property from roosting pigeons, the woman is alleged to have called Jones a “fucking old queen”, among a host of other alleged insults.

The case was heard by the Equality Court last week Tuesday, with the bulk of the day spent cross-examining Jones. The neighbour’s counsel concluded by accusing Jones of fabricating the claims, which Jones denied. He in turn accused the woman of lying.

A large amount of time was also spent discussing the treatment of the pigeons, which Jones and his counsel insisted was irrelevant to the case.

The matter was adjourned, but later that evening Jones felt ill and was admitted into hospital. He told Mambaonline that this was due to health complications “that were partly a result of the duration of cross-examination and the tension of proceedings under hostile cross-examination”.

Jones, who has since been discharged, acknowledged the support of staff members from The Other Foundation who attended the hearing. “I am hugely grateful to them for their comradeship,” he said.

The matter is set to resume in the Equality Court on 30 and 31 January, 2017.

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