Man sentenced to life for raping friend’s 12-year-old niece

A 47-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his friend’s niece in September 2020.

The rapist appeared in the Madadeni Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where the sentence was handed down.

The girl, who was 12 years old at the time of the offence, was raped in September.

Rape

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the little girl was returning home after borrowing a school book from her friend when she met the man.

“She knew him by name as he was friends with her uncle and was known to her father as well. He asked which school subject she was struggling with and she told him it was Maths.

“He told her that he would teach her the subject, and then took her to his home where they went through her homework together.

“Thereafter, as she was getting up to leave, he grabbed and raped her. The girl reported the incident to her friend who then told a school teacher. The girl’s uncle carried out a citizen’s arrest on the man and took him to the police station,” Kara said.

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Traumatised

Kara said in securing the conviction, prosecutor Petros Mhlophe submitted a Victim Impact Statement compiled by the girl and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Masande Mdiya.

“In her statement, she said that this incident has traumatised her, and as a result she is always scared and cannot sleep at night. She said that she cannot focus at school and her marks had dropped since the incident.“

Sex offenders

“As part of the sentencing, the court deemed him unfit to possess a firearm, unsuitable to work with children and an order was made that his name is entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders,“ Kara added.

The NPA has welcomed the successful finalisation of this matter.

“It affirms our commitment to curbing the scourge of violence against women and children. We commend the work done by the prosecution and other stakeholders,” it said.

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