Blind mom-in-law, 87, raped
2005-11-17 16:31
Bethlehem - A 48-year-old Ficksburg man has been arrested for allegedly raping his blind and aged mother-in-law, said Free State police on Thursday.
Constable Christopher Mophiring said the man, of Meqheleng township, near Ficksburg, was arrested on a farm at Rosendal on Wednesday night.
The rape happened last Friday, when the mother-in-law, 87, was left alone at home after an argument between the daughter and her husband.
The daughter left the house after the argument, but later returned with a friend.
"She unlocked the door and noticed a broken window in the dining room.
"She found her husband in the old woman's bedroom, wearing only his underwear," said Mophiring.
Police were called and the man was arrested.
Mophiring said the old woman was taken to Phutholoha Hospital in Ficksburg where a doctor confirmed she had been abused.
The man will appear before Ficksburg magistrate's court on Friday on charges of housebreaking and rape, said Mophiring.
The head of police in the eastern Free State, assistant commissioner Eric Nkuna has urged the public to break the silence on sexual offences.
"Show that you care. Crimes against elderly people cannot be tolerated," said Nkuna.
- SAPA