Family friend sentenced to life in prison for raping girl in her home

The family had provided the man with temporary accommodation.

A man from the Northern Cape province abused his position as a family friend and raped a child while staying with the underage girl’s family.

The man’s name cannot be mentioned as this would result in an indirect identification of the child.

The Galeshewe Regional Court heard that the family trusted the man so much that they allowed him to share a bedroom with the little girl and her other siblings as there was limited space in the house. He slept on the bedroom floor.

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“While staying with the family, the accused took advantage of the situation and started raping the victim on May 1, 2022. Both rape incidents occurred in the victim’s parental home while the rest of the family was sleeping in the same house.

“The victim informed her mother and stepfather about what the defendant had done to her. The incident was reported to the police and the defendant was arrested. The victim underwent a medical examination which revealed that she had injuries and DNA analysis was also conducted to support the state’s charges.”

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During the trial, the court heard that the defendant was viewed as a father figure and that by attacking the victim he had abused the family’s hospitality and trust.

He denied ever having sexually abused the child.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment for both rape counts. He was declared unfit to possess a firearm under Section 103 of the Arms Control Act. The court also ordered that the accused’s name be entered on the National Sex Offenders Registry.

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