Soweto rapist released on parole, rapes three more women

A man in Soweto has received hefty sentences after raping three women while on parole for the same crime.

The Protea Magistrate’s Court sentenced Albert Beukes, 39, to two life imprisonment terms for two counts of rape and a further 15 years for the third count of rape, as well as 18 months imprisonment for kidnapping.

Married man rapes women on their way home at night

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said the first complainant, aged 29, was raped after she was dragged to an open veld in Eldorado Park. She had been walking home from a nearby tavern on the night of 16 December 2014.

She opened a case and DNA swabs were obtained and stored, as the perpetrator was unknown.

The second complainant, raped on 20 April 2016, was also targeted while walking home from a nearby tavern.

The third woman, 47, was raped after the accused entered her shack in Kliptown on 2 February 2019 when she was preparing to sleep.

A passerby heard her screaming for help and rushed to the shack. Beukes was able to flee but left some of his clothes behind.

“Luckily she could recognise him and after opening a case, she was escorted by the police to the accused’s place,” Mjonondwane said.

“On arrival, they found his wife, who positively identified his clothes.”

The accused was on the run until the investigation uncovered that he was a parolee who was released while serving a 12-year sentence for rape.

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Parolee arrested at community corrections centre

The investigating officer traced the accused through his parole officer from Johannesburg Community Corrections.

They arranged to apprehend Beukes during one of his visits to Community Corrections in July 2019. He was subsequently linked through DNA on the two 2014 and 2016 unsolved dockets.

Regional Court Prosecutor, Edward Madibela argued that the accused was a serial rapist who targeted vulnerable women at taverns and pounced on them at secluded areas, where he knew they were defenceless.

“As the country continues to commemorate 16 Days of Activism against violence aimed at vulnerable groups, we applaud the sterling work of Captain Smith and prosecutor Madibela,” Mjonondwane said.

“This successful prosecution is the culmination of years of painstaking investigative and prosecutorial work.”

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