A 41-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Ladysmith Regional Court on Wednesday February 28 after he pleaded guilty to the rape of a five-year-old girl. The incident happened in November 2018 in the Ladysmith area.
The man knew the child as he was her neighbour and her friend’s uncle, said Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
“On the day of the incident, the child was playing outside her house, when the man gestured to her to follow him. He led her to an unoccupied house in the area and raped her. He then gave her R1 and sent her home, telling her not to report this to anyone. She went home and immediately told her mother what had happened, and the man was arrested thereafter,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
In aggravation of sentence, Regional Court Prosecutor Sandisiwe Ntuli told the court that the man was an adult known to the child and was in a position of trust, however, he abused that trust.
Mr Ntuli also advised the court that there was DNA evidence linking the man to the offence. The man was sentenced to life imprisonment and was declared unfit to work with children. He was also deemed unfit to possess a firearm and the court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register of Sex Offenders, said Ms Ramisson-Kara.
“The NPA welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter, and we hope that this sentence sends the necessary deterrent message.We commend the work done by the prosecution and the police,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.