Man, 29, gets life in jail for raping elderly woman

The Mhala Regional Court sentenced Regiment Maluleke (29) from Agincourt outside Thulamahashe in Mpumalnaga to life imprisonment yesterday, after he pleaded guilty to rape of an 82-year-old woman in January 2017.

In his plea, Maluleke told the court that on the day of the incident, he went to the complainant’s house in Newton Trust pretending to be looking for his girlfriend. He found the complainant alone and forcefully raped her.

In aggravation of sentence, the prosecutor, Matume Maake, told the court that Maluleke pleaded guilty not because he is remorseful, but because of the DNA evidence that is linking him to the offence. He added that Maluleke committed a serious offence, an offence that is prevalent in the country and part of the scourge of gender-based violence.

He requested the state to impose a harsh sentence in order to protect elderly women, who are vulnerable from criminals that view them as easy targets. A victim impact statement showing that the victim suffered emotional stress and physical injuries was also handed in.

Magistrate Elmarie Theron found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment.

Director of Public Prosecutions adv. Matric Luphondo welcomed the conviction and sentence in light of the current spate of gender-based violence cases in the country.

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