Man receives life sentence for rape, fathering child with stepdaughter
ALEXANDRA - A man receives life sentence for raping and fathering a child with his stepdaughter.
A magistrate wiped away what appeared to be a tear at Alexandra Magistrates’ Court when sentencing a 49-year-old man to life imprisonment after he was charged with raping his 14-year-old stepdaughter resulting in pregnancy and childbirth.
Despite positive DNA results, the rapist, whose name is undisclosed to protect the child’s identity, denied being the baby’s father. This was also after the daughter confessed to having no other relationship.
The court heard that the accused, an undocumented foreign national, raped the daughter several times in their Alex home last year and threatened to kill her if she reported him.
The child eventually disclosed the rape to her school teacher who had noticed a change in her behaviour and class performance. The teacher took her to a clinic where the pregnancy was confirmed and a rape case was subsequently reported to the police by the child’s mother.
The accused ran away when he heard of the report, but was found and arrested in the township two days later. He was brought to court several times from mid-year last year for bail applications which failed due to the gravity of the crime and his lack of documentation.
It was also found that the child contracted a chronic ailment from the rape which was also discovered on the accused.
Social workers and psychologists moved the child to several centres in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Sterkfontein to help improve her schoolwork.
When sentencing, the magistrate said that instead of taking responsibility, the accused opted to abuse the daughter and destroyed her life when she was still young and unable to care for her baby. He added that stepfather had shown no remorse. The court recommended further testing for the child to assess the full effects of the rape.
The magistrate also ordered that the rapist’s name be entered in the register of sex offenders and declared unfit to work with children; and in the event of parole, he should inform any employer of the conviction; and due to the seriousness of the offence, not to possess any firearm.
