LENGTHY SENTENCE FOR TENANT WHO RAPED A CHILD
The Sasolburg Regional Court has sentenced a 47-year-old man, to 20 years of direct imprisonment after he was convicted of raping a 10-year-old child. On 30 October 2021, the accused was renting and staying as a tenant at the home of the victim and was consuming liquor and enjoying himself. The accused later called the complainant to his room where he proceeded to rape the 10-year-old girl. When he was done, he gave the victim an R2 for snacks and then continued to threaten her not to tell anyone because if she did, she was going to fail at school. The victim’s cousin went outside looking for the victim, she then noticed the victim coming from the accused room and fixing her pants. The cousin took the victim into the house and questioned her. The child informed the cousin what the accused had done to her. The accused was then stopped from going outside the yard and the police were called to the scene.
During the trial, the Regional Court Prosecutor Ntombi Marase, argued that the accused broke the position of trust and took advantage of the victim & her innocence. The accused was staying at the victim’s home as a tenant for about four years when the incident happened, and he was considered part of the family by the victim and her family. The prosecutor further argued that the court should sentence the accused to a maximum sentence for such an offence as he showed no remorse. Through the Victim Impact Statement facilitated by Court Prep Officer Kelly Mbasa, the victim mentioned that she was still experiencing flashbacks of the horrific event.
In sentencing, the court noted that rape of minors had become cancerous in our society. When passing the sentence, the court took into consideration injuries noted on the J88. The court deviated from the prescribed minimum sentence stating that the accused had been in custody for two years and imposed the sentence of 20 years of direct imprisonment. The court made an order for the accused’s name to be entered into the national register of sexual offenders & he was further declared unfit to possess a firearm.
