A 48-year-old South African man was sentenced to life imprisonment for the horrific r@pe of his girlfriend of eight years, a crime that took place in their shared home on November 28, 2022, in Carnarvon, Northern Cape.
Prosecutors argued that despite the victim’s visible distress and pleas for him to stop due to her pain, he continued the @ssault, disregarding their relationship and her consent.
On that fateful evening, as the couple returned home after visiting friends, the man forcibly undressed his girlfriend despite her refusal, claiming that if she loved him, she would comply with his demands.
After enduring the vicious attack and managing to escape when he left the room, the victim sprinted to a nearby police station to report the crime.
She underwent a medical examination, and the man’s arrest followed the next day, leading to a court appearance where he chose to abandon bail and remained in custody until the trial’s conclusion.
During the trial, the victim, assisted by a court preparation officer, expressed the profound emotional impact of the as$ault.
Prosecutor Adv Corrie Jonker emphasised the need for a severe penalty to convey that relationship status does not excuse ab_sive behavior, prompting the court to impose a life sentence without any mitigating circumstances.
The court also declared the offender unfit to possess a firearm, reinforcing the message that such vi0lence will not be tolerated.
In response to the case, Mojalefa Senokoatsane from the National Prosecuting Authority reiterated the agency’s commitment to ensuring justice for vict!ms of crime and advocating for harsher penalties for perpetrators to enhance community safety.
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