A 25-year-old Northern Cape man was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Victoria West Regional Court for raping a five-year-old girl.
A 25-YEAR-old Northern Cape man was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Victoria West Regional Court for raping a five-year-old girl.
The incident took place when the accused, Shadrack Maans, was 19 years old and was residing on a farm near Victoria West, on October 27, 2017.
National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said Maans was requested by the mother of the child to transport her daughter back to their home as Maans was also en route there.
“The accused agreed to ride with the child and loaded her onto his horse-drawn cart. Along the way, the accused stopped his cart and began to rape the child. Upon her arrival at home, her family noticed that her clothes and blanket were soaked in blood. The child was taken for a medical examination where multiple injuries were observed in the child’s private parts. The case was reported to the police and the accused was arrested,” said Senokoatsane.
He added that the State prosecutor, advocate Van Wyk from the De Aar office, argued that the rape of the pre-schooler by an adult was a “horrendous act” and urged the court not to deviate from the maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
“Van Wyk further reminded the court that the accused betrayed the trust that the mother and the child had placed in him by violating the child.
“The accused was sentenced to life imprisonment, while his name has also been entered into the national register for sexual offenders. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.”
