Uncle sentenced to life for raping five-year-old niece

A 24-YEAR-old man was handed a life sentence by the Victoria West Regional Court after he was convicted of raping his five-year-old niece.

Northern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock said the incident took place on October 27, 2017, when the accused gave the girl a lift from a farm to her home in Victoria West.

“On their way to town, the uncle suddenly stopped the donkey cart. He forcefully undressed the girl, raped her and dropped her off at home,” said Kock.

“The girl told her mother about the rape and the suspect was arrested by police on the same day.”

Kock added that the accused remained in custody for the duration of the trial until he was sentenced to life imprisonment on January 17.

The acting provincial head of Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS), Colonel Sipho Kheswa, commended the investigating officer, Sergeant Monique Fan from the De Aar FCS unit, for her “meticulous investigation”.

Kock added that a 49-year-old man was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment by the Keimoes Magistrate’s Court after he was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting five young girls.

“The accused lured five girls between the ages of nine and 13 years old to his house in Keimoes where he raped and sexually assaulted them during January 2020.

“He was arrested on January 29, 2020 and was sentenced in the Keimoes Magistrate’s Court to 12 years for rape, four years for statutory rape and nine years for the sexual assault of three of the girls.”

Kock stated further that a 36-year-old man was sentenced to eight years imprisonment, suspended for five years, by the Carnarvon Regional Court on January 25 for attempted rape.

“The incident occurred on February 6, 2021, at about 2am, when the accused broke into the house of a 19-year-old female neighbour in Van Wyksvlei.

“He attempted to rape her while she was in bed with her child. She started screaming and the suspect fled but was arrested the next day.”

Kock added that in an unrelated case, an accused was sentenced by the Port Nolloth Regional Court to 22 years direct imprisonment on January 27.

"The incident took place when the accused escorted a 33-year-old woman home after she had visited a male friend in Kamieskroon on September 10, 2021.“

Kock said that en route, the accused pinned the woman down near the river bank and raped her.

He added that another accused, Gosego Ntidi, 28, was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for housebreaking with the intention to rape, six years for attempted murder and four years for robbery by the Kuruman Regional Court on January 26.

Kock said the accused strangled a 30-year-old woman and forcefully raped her twice inside her home.

“The complainant was sleeping when a man broke into her home in Seodin village in Kuruman on November 2, 2019, at around 2am.”

The provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola, commended the investigating officers from the various FCS units and the Provincial Serial Electronic Crime Investigation unit for the sentences secured.

“Crimes against women and children remain a priority for the SAPS, therefore no stone will be left unturned in ensuring that perpetrators thereof are behind bars and brought to justice,” Otola said.