Mr Pieter du Plessis (acting regional court magistrate) for Heidelberg and Brakpan found Matlebane Solomon Hlahane guilty of raping a seven year old girl and sentence was given on December 12 in Heidelberg Magistrate’s Court.
According to Mr Du Plessis, the accused was spared a life imprisonment sentence only because the victim was not physically seriously harmed and because of Hlahane’s age.
The incident happened when the accused visited the tavern in Ratanda on 17 December last year and lured the little girl, who was playing outside, into the building. Du Plessis said the accused raped the little girl as per definition of rape in the act, but was luckily disturbed by her aunt before full injury causing penetration could be achieved.
He continued to say that when dealing with sexual offences, especially where minor complainants are involved, the impact caused on the complainant requires serious consideration. “Due to their youthfulness the psychological impact cannot really be measured at this time as the psyche is a strange thing that can affect a person immediately or much later in life.”
Du Plessis concluded that the victim was betrayed by a person she trusted and the incident happened in a safe environment, her own home. She was traumatised by being exposed to this age-inappropriate sexual behaviour and having to go through the medical examinations and the experience of what had happened.
“The after effects of the rape however, is that she is scared of men, struggles to fall asleep, has nightmares and is scared of being alone,” Du Plessis said.
Mr Du Plessis ordered that the accused’s details be placed on the register for sexual offenders and found him unfit to possess a firearm.
(See full story in 17 December’s HERAUT)
