Ninow recites poem to his victim in court after admitting to doing drugs in prison

Testifying in mitigation of his sentence on Wednesday, convicted rapist Nicholas Ninow was permitted to read a poem he had written to the seven-year-old girl he raped in a toilet at the Dros restaurant in Silverton, Pretoria last year.

The decision to allow Ninow to read the poem during his sentencing at the High Court in Pretoria has been met with outrage on social media.

The poem was recited after Ninow admitted to having continued to take drugs while in prison. He has blamed his actions on his addiction to substances, saying he was on crystal meth and khat on the day of the incident and that this turned him into a “different person”.

Ninow told Judge Papi Mosopa that drugs in prison were “everywhere”, and that getting access to them was not difficult.

Following the poem, Ninow apologised to the victim’s family, reading out what he said was one of 30 letters sent to the family, saying he realised the apology would not be enough and he was aware of the pain he had caused. He added that he was struggling to forgive himself and that he would never have committed such an “evil deal” if he was in the “right state of mind”.

Judge Mosopa asked Ninow’s lawyer if the girl’s family had received the letter. The reply was that they had not sent it to them as they did not want to “interfere with court proceedings”.

Ninow also apologised to his son, who was born while he was in prison, as well as to his ex-fiancé and grandmother, who he described as his “idol”.

Earlier, he claimed his grandmother would attest to his assertion that he was a “different person” while high.

Ninow said the drugs made him “angry and full of hatred” and that he was acting on impulse alone.

The rapist disputed the court’s finding that the rape was premeditated and that he planned to move to the children’s area at the restaurant, saying he did so impulsively.

After a week-long trial in September this year, Judge Mokhine Mosopa found Ninow guilty of rape, possession of an illegal substance and defeating the ends of justice.

Once Ninow is sentenced, the department will also work out a sentencing plan which will determine an appropriate place for him to serve his sentence.

The sentencing continues.

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman. Background reporting, News24 Wire.)

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