Teen accused of molesting cousin (10), denied bail
The mother of the accused (19) who is the aunt of the victim (10) reported her son to the police after the alleged rape incident.
A 19-year-old man charged with the rape of his 10-year-old cousin has been denied bail.
The Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, May 20 denied the accused bail and postponed the case to June 3, for further investigations.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, the mother of the victim and that of the accused are siblings.
“The 10-year-old had visited her aunt where the accused also resided.”
Mahanjana said on the night of April 13, she and the accused slept on the floor, while the aunt slept on the bed in the same room.
“Around 23:00, after the aunt switched off the lights, she noticed movement on the floor where the two were sleeping. The aunt then uncovered the two, and saw that her son was naked and the victim with no underwear.”
Mahanjana said when she asked what was happening, the 10-year-old told her that the accused raped her.
“The aunt then called the mother of the victim and told her what had happened and reported the matter to the police the following morning.”
The accused was arrested on April 14, after he handed himself over to the police in the presence of his mother and the mother of the victim.
“In court, the accused denied committing the offence and asked to be released on bail because he is still a school-going learner (Grade 11).
He also argued that his further incarceration will affect him negatively and he will miss his exams and will not be able to continue with his schooling,” said Mahanjana.
The accused further told the court that he intends to plead not guilty to the charges.
However, state prosecutor Chris Maruma, opposed application and told the court that the accused was a flight risk because he was illegally in the country.
Maruma further said, that the accused is known to the victim and could therefore influence her to withdraw the charges.
The magistrate agreed and bail was denied.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
