George police officer arrested for tampering with evidence
Photo: @SA Police Service (SAPS)/ Twitter
North West man sentenced for several rape and kidnapping cases
“Initial investigations linked him to seven rape, four robbery and five kidnapping cases that were reported between 2010 and 2015.
George police officer arrested for tampering with evidence
Photo: @SA Police Service (SAPS)/ Twitter
A 45-year-old was sentenced to life in prison for several rape, kidnapping, and robbery charges this past week at the Palmridge High Court.
CASES SPAN BETWEEN 2010 TO 2015
According to Police spokesperson Colonel Amanda Funani, Lucky Mathabatha was arrested on Sunday, 29 December 2019, at his home in Oukasie, close to Brits.
“This after initial investigations linked him to seven rapes, four robberies, and five kidnappings that were reported between 2010 and 2015 in and around Brits.”
According to information presented before the court, Mathabatha was targeting female hitchhikers.
Funani said he would wait for unsuspecting drivers of vehicles to stop in order to offer lifts to the females.
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“He would wait and after the drivers had stopped to offer lifts to females, run to the vehicles and rob them (drivers) of their valuable items before grabbing and kidnapping his female victims to nearby bushes where he would rape them.”
DNA LINKS SUSPECT TO GP RAPE
Subsequent to investigations, Mathabatha was linked to the cases through DNA results, obtained through another rape case that he committed in Gauteng Province.
He was denied bail by the court and remained in custody since his arrest in December 2019.
Mathabatha was sentenced as follows:
Four counts of robbery: 15 years each
Five counts of kidnapping: seven years each
Seven counts of rape: life sentence and an additional 10 years imprisonment.
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The Provincial Commissioner of North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena praised the Brits Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit “for spending sleepless nights, tracing the perpetrator, putting him behind bars, and ensuring that he receives an appropriate jail sentence.”
He also thanked the prosecution for the role they played in the sentence which he said would send a stern warning to potential criminals that the police are serious about fighting crime in the province.
