Cape Town – The Bhisho High Court, in the Eastern Cape, sentenced a 35-year-old father to life imprisonment, for raping his eight-year-old daughter.
The man, from Phakamisa, was convicted of raping his daughter when she visited him on December 19, 2020, and slept over.
The court heard that the child woke up in the middle of the night to find her father lying on top of her. He raped her and threatened her not to tell anyone.
The girl returned home to her mother, also situated in Phakamisa, the following day.
The girl told her aunt about the incident a few days later, after family members had noticed she was walking with difficulty.
A medical examination of the girl revealed that there was forced penetration.
During aggravation of sentencing arguments, advocate Jodwana-Blayi led the evidence of the forensic social worker and that of the victim’s aunt. Their evidence depicted a deep betrayal by the father towards the daughter, who loved and trusted him.
Jodwana-Blayi further argued that the father showed no remorse concerning what he had done to his own daughter.
During the sentencing, the court noted that the State persistently argued that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the minimum sentence of life imprisonment.
The court agreed and, subsequently, the father was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Director of Public Prosecutions Barry Madolo congratulated Jodwana-Blayi for successfully prosecuting the case and representing the State well during the trial.
In a separate incident, the Mthatha High Court has sentenced an Eastern Cape man to 28 years imprisonment for raping his stepdaughter.
The 37-year-old entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the State, where he pleaded guilty to raping his wife’s daughter, from the age of 11 until 13.
The girl was impregnated in the process.