Man sentenced to life for raping, killing 7-year-old girl from Verulam

A Verulam man was handed a life sentence for raping a little girl and stabbing her to death.

The sentence, which was handed down on Thursday in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban, came after the court heard how Laston Moodley, 26, had raped and killed a 7-year-old Amanda Mila.

Amanda was playing with other neighbourhood children near one of the flats in Verulam on 28 July 2018, when a neighbour sent her to a local shop. Moodley then lured her to his house where he raped and stabbed her, the court found. Amanda was left naked on the road with a stab wound on the left side of her chest.

“The community gathered at the suspect’s house after following a blood trail and the police were immediately contacted. The door was forced opened by the police and the accused was found inside. A search was conducted inside the house and victim’s clothes were found hidden inside a bin,” said Captain Nqobile Gwala

Amanda died in hospital the following day.

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula welcomed the sentence, saying: “The investigating officer is commended for presenting a well-prepared docket in court to make sure that the accused was sentenced appropriately.”

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