OUDTSHOORN PASTOR SENTENCED FOR RAPE OF TWO GIRLS
The Oudtshoorn Regional Court has sentenced a Pastor, to 54 years of direct imprisonment following his conviction on three counts of rape, three counts of indecent assault, one of sexual assault and 26 charges of child pornography. The accused who cannot be named as the complainants were his family members, who indecently assaulted and raped a 13-year-old in 2003, at his house, office, and church. The complainant reported the matter to the police in 2018.
The Pastor also sexually assaulted and raped his 14-year-old adopted daughter in his house, office, and church, the victim also reported the incidents to the police in 2018. He was also convicted on 26 counts of child pornography after downloading the images from the internet. He denied that the girls in the images were under the age of 18 years. The State led the evidence of an expert witness who testified that the girls were indeed children under the age of 18. The accused admitted that he is addicted to pornography.
The court deviated from the minimum sentence of life and effectively sentenced the accused to 54 years of direct imprisonment. The court ordered the accused’s name to be entered in the National Register for Sexual Offenders.
Adv. Nicolette Bell, the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Western Cape, welcomed the sentence and expressed shock at the abuse of power exercised by the Pastor over children who entrusted him wholeheartedly. “We condemn any form of violence against women and children. We hope this sentence sends a stern message to other would-be rapists and abusers of children that the courts will do all in its power to send them to jail for a very long time,” she said.
