AFTER pleading guilty to two of five rape charges against him, Phathizizwe Sibusiso Sibiya was on Thursday sentenced to life behind bars, plus 15 years.
This after the 37-year-old’s attempts to convince the court that he had turned over a new leaf and was remorseful of his crimes.
Giving testimony on Wednesday, Sibiya asked the court for leniency, saying that by pleading guilty he had not wasted the court’s time and he had realised his wrongdoing.
The Prosecutor, however, argued that Sibiya had no choice but to plead guilty after being linked by DNA to the rapes.
The Prosecutor urged the court to sentence Sibiya according to the magnitude of his crimes, saying he had a long rap sheet and a string of convictions of a similar nature.
Community members attended the trial and demanded Sibiya be sentenced harshly.
During his rape rampage last year, Sibiya targeted women waiting for lifts at the roadside.
According to the police report, he lured his victims into his vehicle after promising them a lift.
He then drove them to the bush and raped them.
Threatening them with a screwdriver, Sibiya told his victims he would kill them if they reported the rapes.
The case was tried at Mtubatuba Regional Court and Sibiya was sentenced to life in prison for one count and a further 15 years for the other, to run concurrently.
He will be tried separately, at a courthouse yet to be determined, for the three remaining charges on which he pleaded not guilty.
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