STEP-FATHER SENTENCED TO 2 LIFE TERMS FOR RAPING HIS MINOR STEP-DAUGHTER
The Mhala Regional Court sentenced a forty one year – old man from Huntington near Mkhuhlu to two life imprisonment terms for raping his stepdaughter on two separate occasions. The accused was convicted on two counts of rape and was sentenced to life imprisonment on each count. The victim was 13 years of age when the first incident happened and was residing in the same house with the accused and her mother as a family at Newington Trust. On 12 January 2020 and 09 February 2022, the victim’s mother was away on both dates and the accused forcefully raped the victim.
The victim reported the incident to her mother and her aunt, and this led to the arrest of the accused. In court, the accused denied the allegations levelled against him. State prosecutor Matome Maake led evidence of a first report, the victim, and the victim’s mother. Their evidence was supported by the J88 medical report which showed that the victim sustained injuries due to forced penetration during the rape ordeal including the testimony of a forensic nurse. Prosecutor Maake emphasized on the scourge of gender-based violence addressing the court to impose a suitable sentence.
The accused was found guilty on both counts and was sentenced accordingly. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, the effective sentence being life imprisonment. The court ordered the accused name to be entered in the National Register for Sexual Offenders, was declared unfit to possess a firearm and was further declared unfit to work with children.
The NPA welcomes the conviction and sentence as it the sending a strong message that violence against women and children is seen in a very serious light by our courts.
