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A 25-year-old man from the Victoria West area was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a five-year-old child.
Shadrack Maans was sentenced this week in the Victoria West Regional Court for the rape that took place on 27 October 2017, said Mojalefa Senokoatsane, the regional spokesperson of the National Prosecution Authority in the Northern Cape.
Maans, who was 19 years old during the commissioning of the crime, and who resided on a farm near Victoria West, was asked by the mother of the child to transport her to their home as the accused was en route there.
He agreed and loaded her on his horse-drawn cart and commenced with the journey. Along the way, he stopped and raped the child.
When the child arrived home, the family noticed that her clothes and blanket were soaked in blood. She was taken for medical examination and multiple injuries were observed.
The case was reported to the police and the accused was arrested.
During the trial, the prosecution argued that the rape of the infant was a horrendous act and that the court should not deviate from the maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The prosecution also reminded the court that the accused betrayed the trust that the mother and child had placed in him.
Maans’ name will also be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The Director of Public Prosecution in the Northern Cape applauds the work of the prosecution team and members of the South African Police Service for the successful arrest and prosecution.
