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Shattered Lives: The Story of Advocate Barbie
Warning: Explicit Content
Authored by former Eyewitness News reporter, Liezl Thom, and Forensic Profiler, Laurie Pieters. It is a behind-the-hype account of the human tragedy that began in the affluent suburb of Raslouw, then took a nasty turn on the streets of Sunnyside, eventually ending as the doors of Pretoria Central Prison slammed shut behind "Advocate Barbie".
Careers were destroyed and lives torn apart as the advocate couple played Russian Roulette with the futures of the innocent. Shattered Lives reveals the tragic aftermath of the lover's destructive relationship and brings to the fore many previously unknown and intimate details of their escapades.
Authored by former Eyewitness News reporter, Liezl Thom, and Forensic Profiler, Laurie Pieters. It is a behind-the-hype account of the human tragedy that began in the affluent suburb of Raslouw, then took a nasty turn on the streets of Sunnyside, eventually ending as the doors of Pretoria Central Prison slammed shut behind "Advocate Barbie".
Careers were destroyed and lives torn apart as the advocate couple played Russian Roulette with the futures of the innocent. Shattered Lives reveals the tragic aftermath of the lover's destructive relationship and brings to the fore many previously unknown and intimate details of their escapades.
- GenresNonfiction
291 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 27, 2022
In the beginning..
No that is not this story.
This book is a play off where Barbie is excused for her role and prosecuted for her role.
She is made off the be young.
Inexperienced. (Not by a long shot)
Brought up with morals and a strict code where woman serves their man and he remains the head of the house. (Seriously? Mom and dad divorced but stayed in one house to keep their daughter from throwing a temper tantrum. When she does find out that exact thing happens and they .....
Oh please. She is a spoilt rotten piece of human filth who never actually was an Advocate if I understand the process at all. She never passed her bar exams. So her brilliant mind was but a one tract mind into filth and degradation of others.
I liked that the book tried to provide two sides to a story though. Do not get me wrong and the reader is given enough info to make up their own minds regarding her being a victim or not.
She was about as victimized as her mother. A women who claims to have been raped by Dirk on more than one occasion but she keeps sleeping over in domiciles where he has free access?
Did she lay charges against him?
Two days after selling her and her daughters story to Huisgenoot for apparently a large amount of money she shoves a journalist out of her way. Why? Did he not offer you enough money? I do not know the specifics of what happened here to this woman, I was struck by how this woman stuck with her daughter during the real time trial etc. Now I simply do not know. Was she more of a negative influence on the young Barbie than we will ever know. Did she act out of love or out of guilt?
One thing is sure. The so called Barbie was such a force to be reckoned with that her parents stayed together in one house so as to not 'upset" her. Can you imagine two grown people fearing their child's response that much? I cannot but it has aided me in the belief that Barbie was never, ever, a victim of anything.
Then lets get onto the other mother in this book that drove me distraction.
This will be Jeannine du Plessis's mother.
This woman is about as stable as a roller coaster in Cuba. She was the first person ever to abuse her daughter and that was through one of the worst forms of neglect I have come across in a while. She picked everything above her children. Then gave her daughter to the couple for a weekend knowing that there is allegations already against the couple but figuring what exactly. Well if they rape her I can get some money out of this? I do not know what went on in this woman's head but it cannot be a pretty place. Her daughters suicide is more her own fault than it would ever be that of the so called Adv Barbie and I am glad that the family found the news of the woman's suicide shocking and that they sent their condolences. Oh please. Playing for the audience again. Sorry I do not believe you are capable of feeling anything apart from wanting your way in everything.
Then we have Laurie Pieters, co author of this book. Without her the book would have been a copy and paste exercise for sure but....
The ease with which certain things happened around her and with her as key player suggests to me a deeper relationship with the two advocates or at the very least a larger understanding. I would love to hear that full story one day but I learned to respect Laurie Pieters' ability to cope under high pressure circumstances.
In all a very difficult book to read due to it's contents but still worth the read to get past the precepts that sexual predators are men and that woman nurture. When woman do not nurture they grow very dangerous and manipulative.
No that is not this story.
This book is a play off where Barbie is excused for her role and prosecuted for her role.
She is made off the be young.
Inexperienced. (Not by a long shot)
Brought up with morals and a strict code where woman serves their man and he remains the head of the house. (Seriously? Mom and dad divorced but stayed in one house to keep their daughter from throwing a temper tantrum. When she does find out that exact thing happens and they .....
Oh please. She is a spoilt rotten piece of human filth who never actually was an Advocate if I understand the process at all. She never passed her bar exams. So her brilliant mind was but a one tract mind into filth and degradation of others.
I liked that the book tried to provide two sides to a story though. Do not get me wrong and the reader is given enough info to make up their own minds regarding her being a victim or not.
She was about as victimized as her mother. A women who claims to have been raped by Dirk on more than one occasion but she keeps sleeping over in domiciles where he has free access?
Did she lay charges against him?
Two days after selling her and her daughters story to Huisgenoot for apparently a large amount of money she shoves a journalist out of her way. Why? Did he not offer you enough money? I do not know the specifics of what happened here to this woman, I was struck by how this woman stuck with her daughter during the real time trial etc. Now I simply do not know. Was she more of a negative influence on the young Barbie than we will ever know. Did she act out of love or out of guilt?
One thing is sure. The so called Barbie was such a force to be reckoned with that her parents stayed together in one house so as to not 'upset" her. Can you imagine two grown people fearing their child's response that much? I cannot but it has aided me in the belief that Barbie was never, ever, a victim of anything.
Then lets get onto the other mother in this book that drove me distraction.
This will be Jeannine du Plessis's mother.
This woman is about as stable as a roller coaster in Cuba. She was the first person ever to abuse her daughter and that was through one of the worst forms of neglect I have come across in a while. She picked everything above her children. Then gave her daughter to the couple for a weekend knowing that there is allegations already against the couple but figuring what exactly. Well if they rape her I can get some money out of this? I do not know what went on in this woman's head but it cannot be a pretty place. Her daughters suicide is more her own fault than it would ever be that of the so called Adv Barbie and I am glad that the family found the news of the woman's suicide shocking and that they sent their condolences. Oh please. Playing for the audience again. Sorry I do not believe you are capable of feeling anything apart from wanting your way in everything.
Then we have Laurie Pieters, co author of this book. Without her the book would have been a copy and paste exercise for sure but....
The ease with which certain things happened around her and with her as key player suggests to me a deeper relationship with the two advocates or at the very least a larger understanding. I would love to hear that full story one day but I learned to respect Laurie Pieters' ability to cope under high pressure circumstances.
In all a very difficult book to read due to it's contents but still worth the read to get past the precepts that sexual predators are men and that woman nurture. When woman do not nurture they grow very dangerous and manipulative.
August 2, 2019
Live matter
The book never revealed any great secrets, a copy and paste of what was in the media at the time. Which is maybe what disappoint me!
Stories runs off course a few times
Found it strange that every body's lives got picked apart except Lauries !
Had to go back and check where did the baby come from and what happen to the dad and the grandfather
Think there where more to the relationship with the Advocates these people felt comfortable enough to show up at her housen with pizza and wine !
The author spends a lot of time playing the for and against Barbie card against each other.
Think that if this where to happen today "Barbie" would have gotten away with more.
With the #metoo movement and things like that .
It would be interesting to read a "no holds barred" book from Dirk after he spend a few years is a Serbia prison ....
If he makes it out of there!
The book never revealed any great secrets, a copy and paste of what was in the media at the time. Which is maybe what disappoint me!
Stories runs off course a few times
Found it strange that every body's lives got picked apart except Lauries !
Had to go back and check where did the baby come from and what happen to the dad and the grandfather
Think there where more to the relationship with the Advocates these people felt comfortable enough to show up at her housen with pizza and wine !
The author spends a lot of time playing the for and against Barbie card against each other.
Think that if this where to happen today "Barbie" would have gotten away with more.
With the #metoo movement and things like that .
It would be interesting to read a "no holds barred" book from Dirk after he spend a few years is a Serbia prison ....
If he makes it out of there!
Read
February 6, 2026Raw, gripping, and deeply unsettling, Shattered Lives strips away the hype to expose the human cost behind a sensational case. Written by former Eyewitness News reporter Liezl Thom and forensic profiler Laurie Pieters, the book delivers a powerful behind the-scenes account of how ambition, obsession, and moral collapse destroyed careers and shattered innocent lives.
Unflinching and meticulously detailed, this is a chilling reminder that real people pay the price for reckless choices. A compelling and unforgettable read.
Unflinching and meticulously detailed, this is a chilling reminder that real people pay the price for reckless choices. A compelling and unforgettable read.
March 13, 2018
Gripping.
Couldn't stop reading. It is such a fascinating case. I am surprised that this is the first time I'm hearing about the book. I happened to stumble on it while googling the case.
Couldn't stop reading. It is such a fascinating case. I am surprised that this is the first time I'm hearing about the book. I happened to stumble on it while googling the case.
April 23, 2013
The book captures the saga surrounding the relationship between Cezanne Visser and Dirk Prinsloo. A sordid tale of a mousey girl with a brilliant mind but low self-esteem. Cezanne comes across as naïve and dazzled by the very successful and charismatic sexual predator we find in Dirk Prinsloo. Both Advocates, one could be forgiven to think that they would be esteemed, moral and fulfilling the laws of the land. Church goers even.
As other people in the book said, what consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedroom (bathroom, kitchen or any other space really) have my blessing, but exploiting young children, desperate woman and prowling for prostitutes just doesn’t fall into my scope of approval.
The book covers the story of the different people whom they interacted with in terms of staff, young girls and woman they either molested or paid for sex. It describes their home and the amount of publications of porn displayed all over the house, digital porn as well as pornographic images of children as a place that would have Lolly Jackson look like a Pope. Celibate. Never touched a nipple. Descriptions are quite vivid in places.
The pictures in the book are quite explicit in terms of nudity of Cezanne who does not appear to be a battered woman to me. Perhaps a woman who got fell in love and lust… and when it got harder to keep to the straight and narrow, and in order to hang onto her perverse lover, threw caution to the wind and indulged in all things possible to cling to her man. I do think she must have enjoyed the attention of men everywhere, the media “personality” her dear man was trying to create and going from church mouse to blonde bombshell. Who wouldn’t? I felt just a pinch of pity for her once or twice.
The sexual deeds and misconduct described in newspapers and in the book, I am not sure if a seven year jail sentence is adequate. Cezanne does not appear to feel or show great remorse in her part of sexually abusing young girls, and the trauma caused to the characters is so deep seated and painful. I felt pity to their domestic worker who I am sure did not sign up to be washing sexual toys as part of her day. Prinsloo flee to Russia as is currently in jail for robbing a bank. By the time he gets back to South Africa to face these charges, Cezanne should be out of jail.
Overall, I would give the book a 3 star rating because it gave insight into the people wronged, their lives, how they got involved, got out… or sadly died. The book has a spelling error in the first couple of pages. No real chapters, but paragraphs just randomly starting on a new page. The book could have done with more proof reading! The reason this really annoyed me, was that I had paid R200 for my copy from PNA and I expect at least a spell check and proper layout for that price! I do like that the various behavioural and mental issues are explained at the end of the book as well as contact details should you feel after reading this book that you may be in an abuse situation.
As other people in the book said, what consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedroom (bathroom, kitchen or any other space really) have my blessing, but exploiting young children, desperate woman and prowling for prostitutes just doesn’t fall into my scope of approval.
The book covers the story of the different people whom they interacted with in terms of staff, young girls and woman they either molested or paid for sex. It describes their home and the amount of publications of porn displayed all over the house, digital porn as well as pornographic images of children as a place that would have Lolly Jackson look like a Pope. Celibate. Never touched a nipple. Descriptions are quite vivid in places.
The pictures in the book are quite explicit in terms of nudity of Cezanne who does not appear to be a battered woman to me. Perhaps a woman who got fell in love and lust… and when it got harder to keep to the straight and narrow, and in order to hang onto her perverse lover, threw caution to the wind and indulged in all things possible to cling to her man. I do think she must have enjoyed the attention of men everywhere, the media “personality” her dear man was trying to create and going from church mouse to blonde bombshell. Who wouldn’t? I felt just a pinch of pity for her once or twice.
The sexual deeds and misconduct described in newspapers and in the book, I am not sure if a seven year jail sentence is adequate. Cezanne does not appear to feel or show great remorse in her part of sexually abusing young girls, and the trauma caused to the characters is so deep seated and painful. I felt pity to their domestic worker who I am sure did not sign up to be washing sexual toys as part of her day. Prinsloo flee to Russia as is currently in jail for robbing a bank. By the time he gets back to South Africa to face these charges, Cezanne should be out of jail.
Overall, I would give the book a 3 star rating because it gave insight into the people wronged, their lives, how they got involved, got out… or sadly died. The book has a spelling error in the first couple of pages. No real chapters, but paragraphs just randomly starting on a new page. The book could have done with more proof reading! The reason this really annoyed me, was that I had paid R200 for my copy from PNA and I expect at least a spell check and proper layout for that price! I do like that the various behavioural and mental issues are explained at the end of the book as well as contact details should you feel after reading this book that you may be in an abuse situation.
July 4, 2017
Everyone who catch themselves almost feeling sorry for a woman involved in crimes against children "under the influence of her partner" should stop and read this.
December 1, 2012
The way this book was written is fantastic..
March 17, 2013
Not an easy read due to its disturbing content.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews