A 39-year-old rape suspect is behind bars after being arrested by officers from the Ladysmith Family Violence, Child Protection & Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit.
The suspect allegedly picked up a female hitchhiker from a garage in Ladysmith on Wednesday afternoon (July 24), under the pretext that he would take her to Dundee.
En-route, he left the main road, saying to her that he needed to pick up another passenger.
He drove off the roadway into the bush, where he took out a knife and threatened the hitchhiker. He then raped and robbed her.
The victim was left stranded in the area.
The incident was later reported to police and investigations led officers to a premises in the Watersmeet area on Thursday (July 25), where the alleged rapist was caught off-guard and arrested.
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A search of the premises resulted in the recovery of the victim’s cell-phone and cash that was allegedly stolen from the woman. A knife was also recovered.
The suspect made an appearance in the Ladysmith Magistrate’s Court yesterday (Monday, July 29).
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