The Nelspruit sexual offences court on Tuesday sentenced a 63-year-old man to life after convicting him of raping and kidnapping his 53-year-old girlfriend in 2018.
Between November 1 and 18 2018, the victim disappeared from her home at TV Trust in KaBokweni. Nine days after her disappearance, she stole the accused’s phone, called her sister and informed her she was locked up at the accused’s place and that she needed help.
“The police were alerted and went to the accused's place of residence. When they arrived, the accused blocked them from entering his house, which resulted in the police breaking the door and finding the victim inside severely malnourished,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said.
The accused was arrested and charged. In court, the accused pleaded not guilty and denied ever raping the victim.
“Prosecutor Leana Jones presented compelling evidence of the victim, who told the court that the accused threatened to kill her should she report the abduction to anyone and testified that the accused repeatedly raped her and deprived her of food and water. She had to use a bucket kept in the room to relieve herself during the time of her captivity.”
The magistrate sentenced the accused to life imprisonment for rape and 10 years' imprisonment for kidnapping.
“Each of these successful prosecutions is the culmination of months and even years of painstaking investigative and prosecutorial work and exemplifying hundreds of similar cases prosecuted successfully daily.
“This sentence demonstrates the seriousness with which the criminal justice system addresses gender-based violence,” Nyuswa said.
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