HE CLAIMED RELATIONSHIP WAS ‘CONSENSUAL’
Reporter – George April
Cape Flats:- Mitchells Plain stepfather has been sentenced to life imprisonment, plus an additional 40 years, for the sexual abuse and rape of his stepdaughter.
It started in a cycle of abuse that began, when she was just seven years old and continued for nearly two decades.
The 24-year-old survivor testified in the Mitchells Plain Regional Court about years of abuse, supported by medical evidence and her detailed account. Despite this, the accused took the stand and claimed he had been in a “consensual relationship” with his stepdaughter since she was 19. He even managed to convince his family of the lie, with the victim’s own mother testifying in his favour.
Judge and prosecution, however, rejected his defence, finding the evidence overwhelming. The man, whose identity is withheld to protect the survivor, was sentenced to life for rape, with a further 40 years for sexual assault and molestation to run concurrently.
In addition, his name will be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders and the National Child Protection Register, barring him from ever working with children. The court also ordered that the survivor be notified if parole or correctional supervision is ever considered.
The Mitchells Plain Community Policing Forum (CPF) said the victim called the accused “Daddy” from as young as three years old, after her mother married him. “For almost two decades she was sexually violated, touched and raped. The gruesome details, together with medical evidence showing old scars and tears, corroborated her testimony,” the CPF said.
CPF spokesperson Linda Jones welcomed the heavy sentence and praised state prosecutor Chantal Adams for her handling of the case.
