The Galeshewe Regional Court sentenced a 43-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping his stepdaughter when she was 14 years old.
THE GALESHEWE Regional Court sentenced a 43-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping his 17-year-old stepdaughter.
The man was also sentenced for attempting to rape his stepdaughter on a separate occasion. The incidents occurred in Galeshewe in 2017 and on June 27, 2020.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Timothy Sam said the court heard that the accused first assaulted the victim in 2017 when she was just 14 years old. He entered her room, gagged her with a cloth, and raped her. The accused then threatened to kill both the victim and her mother if she revealed the incident.
On June 27, 2020, the accused attempted to rape the victim again. However, this time, his actions were thwarted by the girl’s mother, who promptly called the police, leading to his arrest.
The court found the accused guilty as charged. In addition to the life sentence for rape, he was also sentenced to 10 years for attempted rape. The court also ordered that his name be recorded in the National Register for Sex Offenders and declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
The Northern Cape provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola, and her management team lauded the Galeshewe SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit for its work on the case. Otola specifically praised Detective Constable Beverley Matlhale for her thorough investigative work, ensuring that justice was served for victims of gender-based violence and femicide.
