A 22-year-old man from Rietspruit has been sentenced to life imprisonment by Witbank Regional Court after he pleaded guilty of raping his 11-year-old niece in 2018.
The sentence was handed down on December 3.
On the day of the incident, the victim was coming from school when her uncle called her to his room.
He locked the door, undressed her and raped her.
The victim reported the ordeal to her mother who alerted the authorities and the accused was arrested.
In aggravation of sentence, the regional court prosecutor, Ms Maureen Nkosi argued that the accused has destroyed the trust the family had in him.
They are disappointed by what he has done to his niece who was expected to protect, love and care for the victim.
Since the incident happened, the victim is suffering from low self-esteem and has to deal with the social stigma and trauma as a result of what he put her through.
The state further requested the court not to accept that the accused has shown remorse by pleading guilty to the charge.
It’s because he was caught right handed and was removed on top of the victim by his sister and a tenant who resides with them in the same yard.
Therefore the court should not deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence.
It should take into account the prevalence of this offence and the impact it has on the society, the nation is calling for justice in such cases.
The court considered all the relevant factors and sentenced the accused to life imprisonment.
The National Prosecuting Authority is satisfied with the sentence.
