CAPE TOWN - An 81-year-old man from Balfour in Mpumalanga has been sentenced to 15 years direct imprisonment for the rape and indecent assault of a six-year-old girl.
The incident occurred in 2004.
The Secunda Regional Court convicted the accused on the charges last month.
The court sentenced the man to four years imprisonment for indecent assault and 15 years for rape.
The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently.
Evidence before the court revealed that in 2004, the victim was attending a nursery school owned by the accused and his wife in Balfour.
On the day of the incident, the accused coerced the young child to accompany him to his bedroom and promised to give her a packet of peanuts.
The court heard once the child was inside his bedroom, he locked the door, tied her up, undressed her and raped her.
Even though the matter was reported nine years later, the State led the evidence of the victim who testified that the accused threatened to rape her again if she reported the rape incident to anyone.
The victim’s mother also testified and told the court what she had observed from her daughter.
A forensic assessment report, including a J88 report, was presented to the court, which proved the victim was sexually assaulted.
During the sentencing, the court found that there were compelling circumstances to deviate from the life sentence and it took the accused’s age into consideration and sentenced him accordingly.
The Acting Director of Public Prosecutions in Mpumalanga, Sonja Ntuli, applauded the collaboration between the investigating officer and the state prosecutor.
IOL