REGIONAL COURT IN SENWABARWANA HANDED OVER A SENTENCE OF FIFTEEN YEARS DIRECT IMPRISONMENT TO A RAPIST
POLOKWANE:The Regional Court in Senwabarwana has convicted and imposed fifteen years direct imprisonment to a 34-year-old male, Tumelo Surprise Mmoko on Monday, 30 October 2023 for rape and house breaking with intention to commit crime.
The court heard that on Saturday, 18 February 2017, the accused broke into a house at Ga-Machaba village outside Polokwane in Capricorn District at about 21:00 while the victim was asleep with her siblings.
It is reported that the victim, a 19-year-old female suddenly saw the accused in her room as a result a fight ensued whereby the accused stabbed the victim with a knife and subsequently overpowered her, ultimately raped her in the presence of the siblings. It is reported one of the siblings managed to get out of the house and shouted for help from their neighbors.
A case of rape and house breaking was opened at Mogwadi SAPS and transferred to the Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit in Seshego for investigations and the docket was assigned to Detective Warrant Officer Robert Tsiri.
The accused was later arrested through intensified tracing operations and the Investigating Officer Detective Warrant Officer Tsiri successfully opposed bail against him and he went through trial proceedings until he was convicted and sentenced.
The court has ordered for the details of the accused to be endorsed in the Register for Sexual Offenders.
