A 36-year-old man was sentenced to five life terms and 39 years imprisonment for committing sexual offences with his 10-year-old daughter.

The Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court ordered that the sentences should run concurrently and that his name be added to the national register for sexual offenders. He was also declared unfit to work with children, as well as to possess a firearm.

NPA regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana says the man was convicted of five counts of rape, five counts of sexual offences, two counts of sexual grooming, and exposure of pornography to a minor.

“These offences were committed between 2020 and 2021, when the child stayed with him. In 2021, when the child was 11 years old, she told the father’s fiancé what had been happening to her. The fiancé then reported the matter to the police. The father was arrested and has been in custody since,” Mahanjana says.

“He pleaded that he was mentally unwell. He was sent for mental observation at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital, and it was found that he was of sub-intelligence and showed signs of paedophilic disorder, however, he was fit to stand trial.

“In court, he pleaded guilty to the charges.”

State prosecutor Hannelie du Preez asked the court to impose a sentence of life imprisonment on the accused, because as a father he had committed gruesome offences against his child, whom he was supposed to protect.

Du Preez added that the man showed no remorse because he had stopped committing the offences not because he was remorseful, but because he was caught.

The magistrate agreed and said he found no compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence.

Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi welcomed the sentence and applauded the work of the investigating officer.

Mzinyathi hopes the sentence will send the message that the NPA is serious about cases of gender-based violence, especially regarding the most vulnerable.