MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR RAPING DAUGHTER

Photo: Crime Scene Logo

By: Staff Reporter

A 49-year-old father was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Sasolburg regional court on Tuesday, 9, for raping his 14-year-old daughter.

The incident occurred on May 16, 2019, when the father returned home from work to a shack on his mother’s property in Zamdela, Sasolburg, where he lived with his daughter.

“That evening, after waking her from a nightmare, he instructed her to sleep in his bed. Later, he joined her, ordered her to remove her underwear, and raped her,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane.

In the morning, the man assaulted her again and tried to silence her with promises of a repaired cellphone and a winter school uniform.

“Instead of attending school, the brave teenager confided in her paternal grandmother, who took her to the hospital.”

The local criminal record centre in Zamdela recovered a cloth from the accused’s bed containing his semen, with DNA analysis confirming it was his.

“During a family meeting later that day, hearing police sirens, the accused tried to flee but was apprehended by his brothers.”

Senokoatsane said the accused pleaded not guilty, claiming ignorance of why his daughter would fabricate the allegations, but forensic evidence proved his guilt.

The court found no substantial or compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment.

“The NPA in the Free State welcomes this sentence, showcasing the justice system’s resolve to combat gender-based violence (GBV), especially against women and children,” Senokoatsane said.