Child rapist receives three life sentences for multiple offences against minors
A 42-year-old perpetrator, who cannot be named to protect his victims' identities, was convicted of repeatedly sexually abusing his biological daughter and two stepdaughters.
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A 42-year-old man from Worcester, who has a history of sexual offences, has been sentenced to three life terms in prison for the rapes of his biological daughter and two stepdaughters.
Despite maintaining his innocence throughout the trial, the Worcester Regional Court found him guilty, resulting in a total sentence of three life terms plus an additional 15 years of direct imprisonment.
The man cannot be named as his identity may lead to direct identification of the victims, which may lead to secondary victimisation.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said the man was charged with attempted rape, three counts of rape, and a count of sexual assault.
In counts one and two, the victim was his stepdaughter, and she was 10 years old and 15 years old at the times when the crimes were committed.
In counts three and four, the victim was his biological daughter, and these crimes happened when she was 10 years old and 11 years old.
In respect of count five, the victim was his second stepdaughter, and she was 14 years old.
Ntabazalila said that during the trial, the man pleaded not guilty to all charges and testified that he could not have committed the offences as alleged by the victims, as he did not reside with them and had little to no contact with them.
“Acting regional court prosecutor, Cornelius Prinsloo, systematically and comprehensively destroyed (the accused) credibility during cross-examination, leading to his conviction on all charges preferred against him.
“In 2010, he raped her after she came back from school. She told her cousin, who then reported the rape to their aunt, who contacted the police. He was arrested, appeared in court, but the charges were eventually withdrawn after her family pressured her to withdraw them,” said Ntabazalila.
The rape of his biological daughter happened when the minor girl came home from school.
The court heard that the man placed his hand over her mouth to “prevent her from making a noise”. The girl testified that she was afraid to tell anyone about what happened.
The second rape incident occurred while the girl’s mother was receiving cancer treatment.
“One evening, while her mother, who was his wife, was receiving cancer treatment at a hospital in Cape Town… He moved her to his bed, covered her mouth with his hand, and raped her. She went back to their bed where her sisters were sleeping. She couldn’t sleep as she cried after her second ordeal,” said Ntabazalila.
The next morning, after her sisters noticed that she was withdrawn and that her face and eyes were red due to crying, a neighbour was alerted, who contacted the police and took her to the Worcester Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) for medical examination.
“She disclosed the 2019 incident when police interviewed her for the rape. The accused was arrested and charged. Her mother passed away shortly after the case was opened. After his arrest, the 2010 rape of his stepdaughter was reopened and added as another charge. The accused applied for bail, and the State vigorously opposed it, but the court granted him bail,” said Ntabazalila.
While out on bail, the man got involved in a romantic relationship with a different woman, who then moved in with him and her daughter.
“One evening in 2021, the daughter of his new girlfriend woke up with him lying behind her, rubbing his private parts against her buttocks. She stood up and went to sleep in another room. She did not tell her mother what happened as she feared she would not believe her. After a while, she disclosed what had happened to her aunt, who contacted the police, and the accused was arrested and kept in custody after his bail was revoked on the application of the State.”
Following Prinsloo’s compelling arguments, the court ruled that the victims were credible and reliable witnesses whose testimony was consistent and corroborated through the evidence of doctors and first report witnesses, stated Ntabazalila.
The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently. He was declared unfit to possess a firearm and ordered to have his name entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.