A 21-year-old man was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment in the Durban Regional Court last week after he was convicted of the rape and attempted rape of his younger sister.
According to Natasha Kara, regional spokesperson for the Director of Public Prosecutions in KZN, the accused and complainant lived in Cato Crest in Durban and the incident occurred in 2013. “He called the 9-year-old girl into his room where he raped her. He then gave her R2 and threatened to hurt her if she told anyone about the incident,” Kara explained.
A few months later, the accused climbed into the child’s bed and pulled down her pants. Their cousin saw this and asked the accused what he was doing. At this point the complainant told the cousin that the accused had previously raped her.
“In court, Regional Court Prosecutor, Shayna Naidoo presented medical evidence indicating that the complainant had been sexually violated. Naidoo urged the court to view the offences in a serious light stating that children were being violated on a daily basis and it was necessary for the court to send out a deterrent message,” added Kara.
The accused was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for rape and five years imprisonment for attempted rape. The sentences will run concurrently.”
“The NPA welcomes this sentence. Protecting the rights of children is one of our priorities and sentences like this only serve to reinforce our commitment,” concluded Kara..
