Child rapist handed life sentence

THE MOTHIBISTAD Regional Court handed a life imprisonment sentence to 43-year-old Obakeng Kopeledi, who was convicted of raping an 11-year-old girl in Kagung village, Kuruman.

The incident took place on December 5, 2015, when the girl and her brother were watching movies at Kopeledi’s residence.

Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Timothy Sam said on Wednesday that Kopeledi had repeatedly raped the girl after he told her brother to go and buy some items at a tuck shop.

“The girl told her sister about what happened and it was reported to the police,” said Sam.

He added that Kopeledi was sentenced on April 8 to life imprisonment, while his name would be recorded in the national register for sex offenders.

“He was also declared unfit to work with children and to possess a firearm.”

The Northern Cape provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola, applauded the investigating officer, Detective Constable Lorato Badukane from the Kuruman Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit, for her “thorough investigative work, ensuring that justice was served for victims of GBVF”.