Man who raped stepdaughter more than 900 times faces full wrath of law

A 43-year-old man, who repeatedly raped his 10-year-old stepdaughter since the age of five, has been sentenced to nine life terms and 173 years in prison after he was found guilty of 56 charges related to his horrific actions in the Durban High Court, last Friday.

Some of the charges included rape, human trafficking, sexual grooming, sexual abuse, compelling a child to witness self masturbation and distribution of child pornography.

The rape was uncovered when a neighbour on Neptune Drive in Verulam found a used condom inside a one-bedroom house used by the accused and the child. Believing that the child was raped, a group of residents questioned her briefly.

She explained the sexual assault and rape, which had spanned five years. She added that the stepfather had closed off all windows to their bedroom and bathroom with blocks and allowed just one entry point to the home with no ventilation.

She was kept away from school for years and was forbidden to communicate with her family and neighbours. The residents then confronted the accused when he arrived home and assaulted him. His mobile phone was confiscated and several video recordings of the rape were found.

Recordings of other men and women engaging in sexual activity with the child were also found on the memory card. Residents then contacted the authorities for assistance and upon arrival officers, restrained the man. Several sexual aids were found inside the home.

Recounting the incident that led to the suspect’s capture, provincial police spokeswoman, Cpt Nqobile Gwala, said, “In 2014, a nine-year-old girl from Neptune Rise in Riet River, near Verulam, lost her mother and was left in the care of her stepfather, who was trusted to look after her. The father turned into a monster when he started to see the innocent girl as his sex slave rather than his precious daughter.

“He started to be abusive towards the girl, locked her in the house and refused to allow her to be like any other nine-year-old child. Fearing the young girl will share his dirty deeds with her friends, he continued to lock her in the house. In 2018, the stepfather lost his temper, assaulted the victim and chased her out of the house. The girl got the opportunity to run to her neighbour, told her about her abusive stepfather and the constant abuse she suffered on a daily basis under his care. The neighbour called the police. Members of the community, who had heard that the father was abusing the victim, had assaulted him. He was rescued by police and was taken to hospital under police guard.”

A case was opened at Phoenix police station, where he was charged for eight counts of rape, two of sexual grooming, three of using child pornography, two of possession of child pornography, two of distributing child pornography, six of sexual assault, two of human trafficking, conspiracy to commit sexual offence, two of child abuse, compelling a child to witness sexual acts, incitement to commit sexual offence, sexual grooming, and sexual exploitation.

The docket was transferred to Phoenix Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for further investigation. The accused first appeared in the Verulam Magistrates Court where he was refused bail and the case was moved to the Durban High Court.

“The accused pleaded not guilty, however, after overwhelming evidence was presented against him, he was found guilty and sentenced on March 26, 2021, to eight life imprisonment terms for rape, life imprisonment for human trafficking and an additional 173 for all other counts,” added Cpt Gwala.

The accused is believed to have raped the child over 900 times since the death of her mother in 2013. She informed police that the stepfather had raped her almost every second day at various homes in Benoni, Effingham, Pinetown, Reservoir Hills, Sydenham and other areas in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

The accused worked as an auto electrician and had no fixed abode. He relocated every few months with the stepdaughter.

Head of RUSA, Prem Balram, said, “The child was later assessed and found that at the age of 10, she would not fit in with grade five education and would have to be placed in grade three. It could not be established if the child had completed grade 1. Investigations further revealed that the child feared for her life because her stepfather had repeatedly informed her over the years that he had killed her mother and would do the same to her if she informed anyone of their sexual activity. The man whose name has been withheld to protect the identity of the child was arrested twice by members of Reaction Unit South Africa on June 12, 2018. He then escaped from police custody while receiving treatment at Osindisweni Government Hospital (OGH) on the same day and was again tracked down by members of Reaction Unit South Africa and re-arrested in Phoenix.”

The accused then applied for bail in the Verulam Family Court and was met with a staged protest on the day of his appearance as the public called for him to receive no bail. The investigating officer, W/O Nevarge Lutchminarain from the Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) informed the court that the accused had threatened the child and RUSA officers in the presence of other law enforcement officers after his arrest.

Magistrate Irfaan Khalil then remanded the accused to Westville Prison to await his trial. The accused spent 1019 days in custody.

Due to the seriousness of the charges, the case was transferred to the Durban Magistrates Court where senior public prosecutor, Cheryl Naidoo, represented the state. The accused was eventually convicted and sentenced on Friday, March 26, 2021, in the Durban High Court by Judge Mohini Moodley.

“Investigations during his bail application revealed that the accused was charged and convicted for assault and malicious injury to property in 2004 and 2006. The complainants in both cases were the accused’s own parents. A protection order was also granted in 2015 to the ex-girlfriend of the accused after he informed her that through his military training he would be able to kill her and make it look like a suicide,” said Balram.

In passing sentence, Judge Mohini Moodley found the accused guilty of all 56 charges and added that the accused should be registered as a sex offender and not be allowed near children. He added that the stepfather had prostituted the child for financial gain and the investigating officer should pursue charges against all those that abused the child sexually. The accused will serve his prison sentence at Westville Prison.

Acting provincial commissioner for KZN, Maj Gen Thulani Gonya, commended the detective, who worked tirelessly on the case and for securing the sentence.

“The work displayed by our dedicated officer must always be applauded and we will continue to pride ourselves with detectives of such calibre. We are delighted the young girl is receiving all the help she needs and we are confident she will come up even more strong,” he said.