Man, 53, arrested for allegedly raping boy, 6,

According to Phoenix police spokesperson Lieutenant Louise Naidoo, the incident occurred after the boy and his friend had gone looking for his mother at a house in the area on Saturday, Phoenix Sun reported.

“The child and his friend went to the house and found the gate locked. He called out for her and then he jumped over the wall to enter the property and search for his mom. When he did not find her, he jumped back over the wall, only to find that his friend had left,” Naidoo said.

The boy was then approached by the suspect, who was reportedly holding a beer bottle, and was dragged into a nearby hedge of bushes, where he was stripped and allegedly raped.

“A passerby heard the child’s screams and went to investigate. The witness reacted and assisted the child by removing him from the clutches of the perpetrator, who made a quick escape,” Naidoo added.

The suspect, who is believed to have been drunk during the incident, was then arrested by members of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit the following day and detained at the Phoenix Police Station.

The boy was later released into the care of his maternal grandmother.

In January, a 35-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping his 11-year-old nephew in QwaQwa, Free State.

According to police, the boy said he had been on his way home when he came across his uncle, who forced him to walk to his house.

“He took the victim [to] his place. He further forced him to undress, and when he refused, he slapped him … and [allegedly] raped him while busy hitting [him] continuously,” police added.

After the incident, the boy went back home, where he reported the matter to his parents.

– Caxton News Service