A 49-year-old stepfather has been sentenced to life in prison for his years-long rape of his stepdaughter. This is subsequent to his conviction on 12 May 2022.
The Willows, Pretoria East, stepfather was given a life sentence for one crime of rape, 10 years for three counts of rape, 4 years for sexual assault, 3 years for assault with serious bodily injury, and 3 years for pointing a firearm.
The Regional Spokesperson for the National Prosecution Authority, Lumka Mahanjana, said that the magistrate ordered the sentences to run consecutively.
Lumka claims that the complainant’s stepfather and mother were married and lived together with the complaint.
“When the child was 3 years old, the stepfather started assaulting her. However, when she was 7 years old, he started to assault her both sexually and physically until 2019, when she was 17 years old,” she explained.
“These incidents happened when her mother was at work or away,” Lumka said.
In 2018, the complainant disclosed to her stepfather that she desired suicide due to her inability to cope with her experiences. Instead, he pointed a pistol at her and threatened to murder both her and her mother.
When her stepfather assaulted her again on January 15, 2019, she told her boyfriend and together they reported the incident to the school social worker, who then informed the police.
“The same day the stepfather was arrested but was only remanded in custody after his conviction,” Lumka said.
She said after his arrest, the child moved to stay with her grandparents and received counselling.
“In court, the stepfather pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. However, when the child testified in court, she told the court that the incidents affected her and she is now a broken person who is dead inside,” Lumka detailed.
She went on, “In aggravation of sentence, the state prosecutor told the court that the accused abused a child who he was supposed to protect. He showed no remorse for his actions, therefore a sentence of life imprisonment was appropriate, and she asked the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence”.
Lumka concluded by stating that the NPA welcomed the punishment and hoped that it will send a message to all perpetrators of child molestation.