A 73-year-old suspect was arrested for alleged rape. Image via: Adobe Stock
Rape Sentence: Hennury Cloete gets double life for rape of disabled man
A Western Cape man who broke into a mentally disabled man’s home and raped him has been sentenced for the rape in a regional court.
A 73-year-old suspect was arrested for alleged rape. Image via: Adobe Stock
Hennury Cloete has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a 60-year-old mentally disabled man.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said Cloete was handed two life jail terms and ten years imprisonment in the Robertson Regional Court, after he was found guilty on three counts of rape, two counts of housebreaking with intent to rape, common assault and resisting arrest.
Prosecutor, Tertius van der Merwe, told the court that Cloete had broken into the house of a 60-year-old mentally disabled man and raped him. The incidents occurred in Suurbrak on 8 April 2015 and 11 November 2016.
“The victim lived alone and had no electricity in his house. After the first incident, the victim had difficulty identifying Cloete. He was able to identify him after the second incident,” Ntabazalila said.
He said the state had also requested the assistance of the Department of Social Development to ensure the care and protection of the rape victim, considering his age and cognitive vulnerabilities.
Cloete was also charged with the rape of a 62-year-old man on 03 August 2018 in Barrydale. He resisted arrest but police managed to arrest him.
Van der Merwe, argued that there were no material or compelling circumstances for the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentences. He further argued that the prevalence of sexual offences being committed against vulnerable people must be dealt with harshly by the courts.
The NPA welcomed the sentence and note that the partnership between the state and the Worcester Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit was bearing fruit following successful arrests and prosecutions.
The court sentenced Cloete to two life terms and five years for the three rapes, two and half years imprisonment for the two counts of housebreaking with intent to rape, six months imprisonment for assault common, and two years imprisonment for resisting arrest.
The court ordered that the two life sentences run concurrently.
