26 January 2004	Monday	03 Zilhaj 1424

CAPE TOWN, Jan 25: A high-profile South African judge accused of raping a compatriot in his hotel room during the World Social Forum (WSF) in India returned to Cape Town on Sunday and said the scandal had been the worst period in his life.

Sirajuddin Desai, looking drawn and shattered, was greeted at the airport by his wife Faiza, who squeezed his hand as he made a brief public statement. "I want to thank you for your support over the past week, which has been the most difficult of my life," said the judge.

"My wife has been a pillar of strength and I must thank her publicly," he added. An AFP reporter overheard the judge's wife whispering to her husband to smile for the numerous reporters and photographers who were waiting for him at the airport.

Some 30-odd relatives and friends were there to greet Desai, who was then promptly whisked away under police guard in a grey Mercedes. "We are happy to be home but this is not the proper time to answer questions. This is a sad saga and the judge needs time with his wife and children," he said.-AFP