An Umhlasini man was sentenced to life and five years imprisonment for the rape and attempted murder of a child in 2021. Image: File/ North Coast Rising Sun
The Verulam Regional Court sentenced a 46-year-old man to life and five year’s imprisonment for the rape and attempted murder of a child in the Umhlasini area, Durban, in 2021.
The child, who was five years old at the time, had gone to live with her grandmother. The man, who is HIV positive and aware of his status, was the grandmother’s partner and they shared a child.
The man raped the child on several occasions (when the grandmother was either asleep or out of the house running errands) and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.
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In the last instance, the gran had put the children to bed and was outside when the man decided to rape the child again. This time, the gran walked in on him while he was raping the child.
She noticed that he had not used protection either. She confronted him about what was going on, but he denied anything and locked all the doors, keeping them inside.
He even took away the gran’s cellphone, thus rendering her helpless. During this time, the child told her gran that she had been raped several times before.
The following morning, the man returned the house keys and cellphone to the gran and went to work. It was at this point that they contacted the girl’s mother and the matter was reported to the police.
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The man was arrested shortly after, and the child was taken to the Phoenix Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC), where she received the necessary psycho-social services, counselling, and support.
In court, regional court prosecutor, Ishara Sewnarayan, led the testimonies of the child, the first report (her grandmother), and the doctor from the TCC.
She also handed in a victim impact statement compiled by the child and facilitated by court preparation officer, Bongiwe Qwabe, wherein the child noted the devastating effects that the incident has had on her life.
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The man was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, and five year’s imprisonment for attempted murder, as he had unprotected sex with the child, knowing that he is HIV positive.
Further, the court deemed him unfit to possess a firearm and ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
Natasha Kara-Ramkisson, the regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), said:
“The NPA welcomes this successful prosecution and we commend the work done by the prosecution and police. We hope that sentences of this nature will have the necessary deterrent effect.”
Edited by Cornelia le Roux.
This article originally appeared in North Coast Rising Sun and was republished with permission. Read the original article here.
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