Mentally challenged

Man sentenced to life in prison for raping a mentally challenged teenager. Image: iStock/Pixabay

Man gets life in jail for raping a mentally challenged teenage mum

A 38-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for raping a 19-year-old severely mentally challenged mum.

Mentally challenged

Man sentenced to life in prison for raping a mentally challenged teenager. Image: iStock/Pixabay

The Malamulele Regional Court, in Limpopo, has convicted and sentenced a 38-year-old man to life imprisonment for the rape of a 19-year-old “mentally-challenged” woman.

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Severely mentally challenged teenager raped numerous times

The ‘mentally-challenged’ Limpopo woman was previously raped, and conceived a child, but she can’t identify the person who initially raped her.

The identity of the rapist is withheld to protect the victim as she falls under a vulnerable group.

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Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Limpopo, Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said during the trial, the accused man pleaded not guilty.

“The court heard that on 1 July, 2017, in Mudavula village, the accused was in the homestead of the victim with her uncle, drinking alcohol in the evening. He saw the victim going to the pit toilet behind the house and followed her, he forcefully undressed her in the toilet and raped her,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.

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After the incident, the suspect left the mentally challenged teenager in the pit toilet, went back to the house and continued drinking as if nothing had happened.

“After the ordeal, he left the victim and continued drinking with her uncle. The victim came out of the toilet crying and reported the matter to her aunt,” Malabi-Dzhangi added.

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Matter reported to the police

The family called the police, and the accused man was arrested the same day.

State advocate Norman Makhubele relied on DNA evidence to link the accused man, and the mentally challenged victim impact statement from Giyani Court preparation officer, Carol Tshikhudo.

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In aggravation of the sentence, Makhubele submitted that the crime statistics of rape and sexual violation of women and mentally-challenged persons in South Africa are very high.

The prosecution therefore, urged the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence.

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