LIFE SENTENCE FOR RAPING A NIECE
The Upington Regional Court sitting in the Griequatown Circuit Court has sentenced a 47-year-old man to life imprisonment after he was convicted of raping his 10-year-old niece. In the early morning hours of 08 September 2015, the 10-year-old was walking alone on her way home from where she watched TV. Not far from home, the accused grabbed her and took her close to where her grandparents stayed. After threatening her to remain quiet, he demanded that she stay behind when he approached her grandfather and asked him for a blanket. The accused then took her into the veld where he raped her two times. After the accused fell asleep, she escaped to their home, immediately reporting the incident to her mother. The matter was reported to the police and the accused was arrested.
After the commencement of the trial, the grandfather of the complainant died. The loss suffered by the complainant was a loss to the family and the state as the grandfather was a crucial witness in the case. The Regional Court Prosecutor, Friedle Du Plessis, successfully argued that the statement that the grandfather made be admitted as hearsay evidence. The prosecutor argued that the court should impose life sentences as the accused preyed on the vulnerability of the child. In sentencing, the accused was convicted on both counts of rape and sentenced to life imprisonment on both counts. All cases of sexual violence encroach on the rights to dignity and privacy of the victims as enshrined in our constitution hence the NPA will continue to aggressively prosecute these types of cases.
