Father sentenced to life for raping and grooming own children

The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria sentenced a 42-year-old father from Meyerton, Vereeniging to four life terms and 73 years direct imprisonment, for sexual crimes committed towards his children including raping and grooming them. 

The five minor children aged 9, 10, 11,12, and 13 years old were raped by the father from 2019 to November 2020. Two of the minors are his biological children. 

FATHER SENTENCED FOR RAPING OWN MINOR CHILDREN 

The court also ordered that his name be added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana said the man was convicted of two counts of statutory rape, two counts of rape, two counts of sexual grooming, and two counts of instructing a child to commit sexual offences, incest, and possession of pornography as well as sexual assault. 

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Mahanjana said at the time of the incidents, the man was in a relationship with the mothers of the two minor children aged 10 and 11 when he sexually violated them. However, when his 11 and 12-year-old daughters visited him, he would rape them, and over and above raping the 12-year-old he would take pictures of her private part and ask her to send him similar pictures via WhatsApp when she was not with him.

Furthermore, the 13-year-old minor, whom he also sexually violated, was said to be his girlfriend at the time of the incidents and later fell pregnant and had his child when she was 16 years old. He was stopped when she caught him raping his 12-year-old daughter. She then reported the matter to the police and he was arrested on 17 November 2020, and has been in custody since.

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‘A CHANGED MAN WHO FOUND GOD’ 

Mahanjana said in mitigation of his sentence, the father read a statement and asked the court to impose a sentence of 25 years, because he was now a changed man and found God in prison.  

“However, in aggravation the state prosecutor Adv. Salome Scheepers told the court that crimes of gender-based violence are prevalent in the country. The man was a father and a stepfather to his victims, and he was in a position of trust but betrayed that trust. He furthermore displayed no remorse, no regret, and therefore no hope of rehabilitation. Therefore, she asked the court to impose a sentence of life imprisonment.” 

Lumka Mahanjana

The Judge reportedly agreed with the state that the man showed no remorse,and therefore found no compelling and substantial circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence. The sentence given was appropriate. 

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi, applauded the work of the prosecutor and the investigating officer Captain Edgar Swart, that led to the conviction and sentencing in this gruesome case involving children.

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