Teacher gets life imprisonment for raping pupil inside classroom during school hours

A teacher in the Western Cape violated the environment in which the pupil he raped was meant to feel safe, thereby violating her fundamental rights to human dignity, bodily integrity, and basic education.

Claasen raped pupil inside classroom during school hours

This was the argument of acting Worcester Regional Court prosecutor Cornelius Prinsloo in aggravating the sentence for 38-year-old Jeremy Claasen.

The court recently sentenced Claasen to life imprisonment following his conviction for raping a Grade 8 pupil in class during school hours in February 2020.

Prinsloo presented evidence showing that the teacher had sexually groomed the girl. He started chatting with her on social media when she joined the school in Grade 7.

Due to the sensitive nature of the charges and the fact that the victim was a minor at the time of the offence, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) have withheld her name and the name of her school to protect her from secondary victimisation.

Claasen gained pupil’s trust and affection

NPA regional spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Claasen gained her trust and affection to the extent that the victim felt comfortable around him.

The pupil went to Claasen’s classroom on 7 February 2020 to charge her phone, and when she arrived, the accused closed the door and told her to sit on a bench.

“He made advances towards her despite her resistance, and he raped her in the classroom,” Ntabazalila said.

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Three days later, the pupil told a close friend, who in turn alerted a teacher at the school. The teacher informed the principal, who then called the police, and Claasen was taken into custody and charged with rape.

To avoid any additional trauma from testifying in front of Claasen, the state used a closed-circuit television system to show the victim’s testimony throughout the trial. Ntabazalila said an intermediary assisted in this process.

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The state also led evidence from the victim’s friend and a medico-legal examination conducted by a doctor, which confirmed evidence of sexual penetration.

Claasen gave the court an alibi, stating that he couldn’t have committed the crime because he was in court paying a traffic fee.

The NPA stated that Prinsloo argued the alibi was a recent fabrication, as the defence had failed to present it to state witnesses during cross-examination.

Alibi implausible and untrue

“The court indicated the state correctly argued that the victim was a credible and reliable witness whose testimony found consistency and corroboration through the evidence of her friend and that of the doctor, in contrast to the accused’s version, which was riddled with inconsistencies and improbabilities highlighted during cross-examination,” Ntabazalila said.

The Worcester Regional Court convicted Claasen of rape after concluding that his alibi was implausible and untrue beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Prinsloo argued, in aggravating the sentence, that Claasen violated a pupil in a setting where she was meant to feel protected by abusing his position of trust and authority.

“She was violated in an environment where she went every day to further her education and therefore violated her fundamental rights to human dignity, bodily integrity, and basic education,” Ntabazalila said.

Prinsloo said that, given Claasen’s predatory behaviour towards the pupil, raping her was hardly an impulsive choice. He targeted her early and waited for the ideal moment to satisfy his perverse needs.

Life imprisonment

The court agreed with the prosecution and sentenced the teacher to life imprisonment.

“Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Adv Nicolette Bell expressed dismay at the heinous crime committed by a teacher who is supposed to play a parental role to the learner while she is under his supervision,” Ntabazalila said.

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Bell praised the contributions of the Worcester Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) staff, as well as the prosecuting and investigative teams, for their dedicated efforts.

According to her, TCCs offer victims of sexual assault all-encompassing assistance and support, assist in bringing justice and closure to the victims and their families, and help eradicate violent offenders from society.