LIFE SENTENCE FOR RAPE OF NIECE
A 54-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Greytown Regional Court for the rape (on diverse occasions) of his niece. The offences took place in the Muden area and began when the complainant was 12 years old. The complainant and her younger siblings were left in the care of her uncle (the accused who is her mother’s brother) when her mother left home to seek employment. The younger children, the complainant and the accused slept in the same room, and the accused raped her during the night when the others were asleep. He raped the complainant from 2020 to 2022, and since he often ill-treated her and threatened to kill her, she did not report the rapes to anyone.
The matter came to light when the complainant’s granny noticed that the complainant had lost weight and seemed depressed. She asked the complainant what was going on, and the complainant revealed that the accused was raping her. The granny reported the matter to the police and the accused was arrested. In court the state led the evidence of the complainant and her granny, as well as the medical doctor who attended to the complainant. The doctor told the court that the complainant also showed symptoms of being severely traumatised. In aggravation of the sentence, the state told the court that the accused was placed in a position of trust and was tasked to look after the children. Instead, he took advantage of his position and violated the complainant who was the oldest of the children.
The accused was sentenced to life imprisonment and the court declared him unfit to possess a firearm. Further, the court ruled that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders. This case was successfully prosecuted by Mrs. Premie Naidoo and Mr. Khulekani Mncube.
The NPA hopes that sentences of this nature will deter like-minded individuals. As the people’s lawyers, we will continue to fight for justice on behalf of the victims of crime.
