Sex-pervert dad’s life term reduced to 20 years

Two judges of the High Court in Pretoria have reduced the life sentence of a Lydenburg man who, for years, forced his young stepdaughter to re-enact scenes from pornographic movies with him, to 20 years.

Acting Judge HR Fourie and Judge V Tlhapi rejected the stepfather’s claim that he never did anything to his stepdaughter and that it was she who had “fiddled” with him.

They confirmed his conviction on charges of rape, sexual assault and exposing a child to pornographic material.

They, however, reduced his life sentence to 20 years’ imprisonment because he only forced the girl to have oral sex with him and it was, therefore, not one of the most serious cases of rape.

Judge Fourie said although it was accepted that oral rape was disgusting and traumatic for the child, it did not result in physical injuries or pain.

Although the stepfather regularly gave the little girl unnecessary hidings, the assaults did not accompany the rapes, but were used to intimidate her.

The judge said it was aggravating that the sexual assaults were committed on a regular basis over an extended period within the family home. But the court was unconvinced that life imprisonment was just and appropriate for the crime.

Fourie said it had to be accepted that, far from being in a satisfying marriage, the stepfather was troubled by jealousy and suffering from depression and stress during the time the offences were committed.

The young girl was only six years old when her stepfather started to show “movies” of a pornographic nature to her and then instructed her to do with him what she had seen by performing oral sex on him.

She testified that this happened two or three times a week for years. On occasion, he also forced the little girl to give him oral sex while showering with him and on another forced her to perform oral sex on him while he was driving.

He only asked her for penetrative sex once, but accepted her refusal. The girl said the incidents stopped once her mother lost her job and was always at home.

She kept quiet about the incidents for a long time because she feared her stepfather would shoot her and her mother.

She only came out with the truth after her mother divorced her stepfather because of his abusive behaviour. – ilsedl@citizen.co.za