Abraham Benjamin Haarhoff, who is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence in Auckland, New Zealand, for sexually assaulting a young girl, has been ordered to serve at least half his sentence before being eligible for parole.
This news follows Haarhoff’s conviction of multiple counts of rape, indecent assault, and sexual violation of a single child victim in May 2021.
Haarhoff’s family is infamous in South Africa due to his mother, Joey Haarhoff’s, alleged involvement in aiding his stepfather, Gert van Rooyen, in murdering at least six girls between the ages of 11 and 14 in the 1980s.
The victims’ bodies were never found, and van Rooyen ultimately shot Haarhoff before taking his own life in 1990.
In 2017, Haarhoff moved to New Zealand, where he began sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl for a six-month period starting a year later.
Commentary:
The case of Abraham Benjamin Haarhoff highlights the significance of family history when it comes to violent crimes.
Haarhoff’s mother’s alleged involvement in a notorious case of child abduction and murder has brought attention to her family, with her son’s conviction only furthering their notoriety.
The court’s decision to order Haarhoff to serve half his sentence before he can apply for parole serves as a reminder of the gravity of his crimes and the justice system’s efforts to protect society from those who pose a risk to it.