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A Western Cape pastor was sentenced to 54 years in prison by the Oudtshoorn Regional Court on Monday for the rape of two girls.
The pastor’s name remains sealed because the victims are his family members.
The court convicted him of three counts of rape, three counts of indecent assault, one of sexual assault and 26 charges of child pornography.
In 2003 he repeatedly raped a 13-year-old girl at his house, office and church. The complainant reported the matter to the police in 2018.
His second victim was his 14-year-old adopted daughter who he sexually assaulted and raped in his house, office and church. The girl reported him to the police the same year as the other victim.
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National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Western Cape spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the pastor was found guilty on more than 20 counts of child porn after they found downloaded porn pictures of children on his phone.
“He denied that the girls in the images were under the age of 18 years. The State led the evidence of an expert witness who testified that the girls were indeed children under the age of 18. The accused admitted that he is addicted to pornography,” said Ntabazalila.
The perpetrator’s name was also added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in the province, advocate Nicolette Bell, said she was shocked at the abuse of power by the pastor over children who had trusted him.
“We condemn any form of violence against women and children. We hope this sentence sends a stern message to other would-be rapists and abusers of children that the courts will do all in its power to send them to jail for a very long time,” said Bell.
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