Secunda Regional Court sends man to jail for crimes against his wife, her sisters and his children
Magistrate Cupido said most of the incidents, ranging from assault and aggravated assault to indecent assault and rape, against his wife, her two sisters and two of his children, happened in a place where the victims should have felt safe and protected
EVANDER – A 45-year-old man who was described as ‘terrorising’ his family for years, will effectively serve 35 years in prison.
Although the state requested a life sentence (25 years) that will incorporate all sentences of the 23 charges on which he was found guilty, Regional Court magistrate Graham Cupido sentenced the tall, dark-headed man to a longer jail term.
The case was finalised in the Evander Regional Court on Friday, 2 August.
The man’s attorney asked for mercy, but the state’s adv. Tracy Keen-Horak said his deeds had far-reaching effects on his victims.
Magistrate Cupido said most of the incidents, ranging from assault and aggravated assault to indecent assault and rape, against his wife, her two sisters and two of his children, happened in a place where the victims should have felt safe and protected.
“You were in a position of authority and trust. You were supposed to protect your wife and children, not harm them,” Mr Cupido told the accused.
He called the man’s deeds despicable and said he did not show any remorse, thus allowing the victims to go through more trauma by having to testify in court.
Mr Cupido sentenced the man to seven years on each of the two indecent assault counts during which the perpetrator anally raped his wife “to teach her manners”.
He was also sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for the rape of his wife’s middle sister. She said in court her sexual orientation as lesbian stems from what he had done to her when she was about 12 years old.
He was slapped with 13 years’ jail time for shoving his genitals into his two-year-old daughter’s mouth as punishment for walking into the room while her parents were having sex. The court deemed this act as rape.
The incidents happened in various towns such as Standerton, Kriel, Rustenburg, Middelburg, Potgietersrus, Carletonville and Fochville, but the case was centralised, because the first charge was eventually brought at the Secunda Police.
The rest of the charges comprised that of indecent assault against the wife’s youngest sister, the physical assault of his two eldest children and assault and aggravated assault against his wife.
The couple is still married.
The man kept shaking his head as if denying the charges while the magistrate spoke.
His name will now be entered into the nation registers for sex offenders and sexual offences against children.
