Man arrested following rape of two minors at Pretoria hotel
Police said that the suspect was a parolee after having served time for a previous rape case.
A male suspect managed to escape while the female suspect was apprehended and handed over to the police for further investigations. Picture: iStock
A 45-year-old man was due in the Pretoria Regional Court following his arrest on Friday for the alleged rape of two girls, aged 11 and 13 years old.
Police spokesperson, Brigadier Mathapelo Peters, said Sunnyside police responded to a complaint of the rape of two minor girls at a hotel in Pretoria.
“It was reported that the suspect had earlier in the day taken the two minors from Lotus Gardens in Atteridgeville to a liquor outlet in Pretoria West and from there, the three headed to the hotel where the suspect booked a room where he allegedly raped both victims.
“It has further been reported that the youngest victim managed to escape and alerted people who were in the hotel. Hotel security were alerted and police were called in and subsequently arrested the suspect who was still in the hotel room,” Peters said.
Peters added that the investigators had confirmed that the suspect was a parolee after having served time for a previous rape case.
Acting Gauteng police commissioner, Major-General Patricia Rampota, welcomed the arrest and reminded investigators to work closely with prosecutors towards building a watertight case.
Rampota said in the wake of the 16 Days for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, the police remained committed to upholding the rights of victims of gender-based and domestic violence and femicide, and to prioritising the investigation of all crimes committed where women, children and other vulnerable persons are victims.
“Our communities are encouraged to familiarise themselves with SAPS [South African Police Service] systems that are in place to ensure that the community receives optimum service delivery at all times, towards restoring public confidence in the Service. The SAPS Service Complaints Centre is accessible to the public to lodge complaints that can vary from poor service delivery regarding response time, investigations, police negligence, police misconduct and general complaints against the SAPS members,” Rampota said.
Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu
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