Update: 47-year-old remains in custody for statuary rape
The K9 Unit, together with CIG officers, received information as to who might have abducted the girl and police worked tirelessly throughout the night as they followed up on possible leads
A 47-year-old man made his second appearance in the Ladysmith Magistrate’s Court on Thursday (January 5), facing charges of abduction and having sex with a minor.
The 15-year-old victim’s parents sat in the passageway of the court, waiting for the proceedings to start. The mother could be heard venting her anger, frustration and pain.
It was learned that the suspect is a cousin of the 15-year-old teenager.
The 47-year-old appeared before the magistrate in B-court, where the case was remanded to January 12 for a legal aid representative and formal bail application.
On the day on which the the statuary rape took place (December 27), the accused, together with his brother, drove from Estcourt to Ladysmith to meet the teenager. It is believed that they picked up the girl near her home. The accused’s brother, who is believed to have been the driver, dropped off the teenager and his 47-year-old brother at a hotel in town.
After several failed attempts by the teenager’s parents to try and get hold of her, the parents went to the police station to open a missing persons case.
Several attempts by community members to locate and “rescue” the teenager were also unsuccessful.
The K9 Unit, together with CIG officers, received information as to who might have abducted the girl and police worked tirelessly throughout the night as they followed up on possible leads.
In an exclusve interview with the teenager’s parents, they relived the horrifying ordeal. “At around 8pm, my daughter contacted us to say that she would be returning home shortly. Hours went by, but there was no sign of her.”
In the early hours of the next morning (December 28), the teenager called her family and indicated her whereabouts.
Family, along with police officers, rushed to the girl’s aid. On arrival, the girl was found standing at the side of the road. There was no sign of the accused.
CIG and K9 Unit officers went to Estcourt later that afternoon and arrested both the 47-year-old and his brother. The men were detained. One of the brothers has since been released, while the other is being held in custody. He faces charges of abduction and sex with a minor.
What is statutory rape?
The criminal offense of statutory rape is committed when an adult sexually penetrates a person who, under the law, is incapable of consenting to sex. Minors and physically and mentally incapacitated persons are deemed incapable of consenting to sex under rape statutes in South Africa.
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