The 44-year-old Verulam man, accused of holding his stepdaughter captive and raping her repeatedly, was denied bail following his appearance in the Verulam Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Phoenix Sun reports.
He is currently at Westville Prison, and will reappear in court on June 25.
READ MORE: WATCH: Alleged Verulam rapist beaten by angry reaction officers
On the day of his court appearance, angered community members gathered outside the courthouse demanding that the accused be denied bail.
The demonstrators, made up of neighbours and local residents, were appalled that this kind of horrific abuse occurred in their community.
The accused and his 10-year-old stepdaughter moved to Verulam from Johannesburg a few months ago.
A neighbour, who spoke to the child on Monday, June 11, discovered her stepfather had been repeatedly raping her for the past five years.
The child was imprisoned in the home, and was not enrolled in school. This was done to prevent her from informing anyone of the alleged abuse.
Reaction officers with the suspect.
A neighbour, Mark Kisten, spoke to the Phoenix Sun while holding up a placard that read: “No Bail for Rapists.”
“The accused was a difficult man to deal with and, since joining our community, has threatened many of his neighbours, however, we had no idea what he was truly capable of. We found pornography and sex toys in his house, which the child said he had used on her. He must be denied bail,” Kisten claimed.
Dane Pillay, another neighbour, said: “This kind of abuse is destructive to the very moral fibre of our society, and will continue to leave its scars on the child as she grows older. Those responsible must all be apprehended.”
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