In January 2021, a 14-year-old girl went shopping with her family in Greytown. At the shopping centre the teenager was approached by a 38-year-old man, they started talking and he requested that she accompany him to a shop where he worked. There, he took her to the toilets at the back of the shop and raped her.
On Monday November 6 the man, who cannot be named as the victim is a minor, was sentenced at the Greytown Regional Court to life imprisonment for the rape of the teenager, said regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara.
“On the day of the incident, the child went into town to do shopping for her family. While she was in the shopping centre, the man approached her and took her to the shop where he worked. He took her to the toilet at the back of the shop and raped her. The shop owner saw him and the crying girl leave the toilet and enquired what had happened. The police were then called, and the man was arrested,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
In court, Regional Court Prosecutor Premie Naidoo led the evidence of the child as well as that of a medical doctor who testified in respect of the injuries suffered by the child, said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
The man’s employer confirmed to the court that he found the child exiting the toilet in tears, followed by the man. The employer added that the victim told him that she had been raped by the man. Ms Naidoo also submitted a Victim Impact Statement, compiled by the girl. In her statement, she said that the rape had scarred her both emotionally and physically.
“She is fearful and does not go anywhere alone and is now severely depressed. In addition to the life sentence, the court found the man unfit to possess a firearm; and unsuitable to work with children. The court also ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.