Soshanguve mother welcomes decision to deny rape-accused police officer bail
“My son is not coping. He no longer writes his exams in class but at the principal’s office and he has private transport instead of the usual school transport."
A Soshanguve mother has welcomed the Pretoria North magistrate’s court’s decision to deny bail to a 38-year-old police officer accused of raping her 15-year-old son.
On Thursday, November 3, the officer appeared in the magistrate’s court for the fourth time in his bail application.
It is alleged that the accused drove the minor to various taverns in Soshanguve, according to NPA regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.
“It is alleged, after drinking, the accused asked the boy to go with him to check whether his car was still safely parked,” she said.
“On the way to the car, the boy passed out. When he regained consciousness the next morning, he was in the accused’s bed, allegedly being raped.
“The accused instructed the boy to get dressed and promised to drop him off at home. On their way to the victim’s home, the accused stopped on the M17 and pulled the boy out of the car then drove off.”
In court on Thursday, the accused asked to be released on R1 000 bail due to his ill health.
Prosecutor Nkhagweleni Phanuel Madavhi, however, opposed bail.
Madavhi told the court that the accused is facing a serious offence so releasing him on bail would undermine GBV campaigns.
He also said there were no exceptional circumstances to warrant his release on bail.
The victim’s mother, who cannot be identified to protect the victim’s identity, said the court’s decision will help her sleep at night for the first time in a long time.
“I couldn’t sleep thinking about what happened to my son,” she said.
She added that her son can’t cope in school following the alleged rape.
“My son is not coping. He no longer writes his exams in class but in the principal’s office and he has private transport arranged instead of the usual school transport,” she said.
She hoped that her son would get some sleep now that the alleged perpetrator has been remanded in custody.
The matter was postponed to December 7 for further investigation.
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