Children’s report leads to life sentence for Wesselsbron rapist
WESSELSBRON — A 66-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl after other children alerted her grandmother, leading to a police investigation that uncovered earlier abuse. The Wesselsbron Regional Court imposed the sentence on 22 October, according to police.
The case came to light following an incident in February last year. The grandmother reported the matter to police after the children raised the alarm. Investigators subsequently established that the abuse had begun in December 2024.
Warrant Officer Mabote Lebone of the Welkom Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit investigated the case, working with prosecutor Sephugu of the National Prosecuting Authority. Their work resulted in the man’s conviction for rape.
In addition to the life sentence, Magistrate Randall ordered that the convicted man’s particulars be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders and declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
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