The Bethlehem Regional Court in the Free State sentenced a 35-year-old rapist to life imprisonment for raping his minor daughter.

The rapist faced charges of rape and kidnapping. His name will not be published to protect the minor from secondary victimisation.

The rapes began in September 2021, when the 14-year-old girl was being violated in their home in Petrus Steyn.

The State alleged the rapes occurred numerous times, but because the victim was afraid of her father, she did not report the abuse to anyone.

The provincial spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the rape was reported to police after an incident where the victim’s younger brother confronted her, asking why she was sleeping with her father, instead of him.

“This confrontation took place in the presence of their elder sister. The victim’s elder sister then asked the victim why she was sleeping with the accused, and the victim ended up telling her sister that the accused had raped her,” Senokoatsane said.

After his arrest, the father, in his statement to police, admitted to having had sexual intercourse with his daughter more than once.

However, during his trial, he denied this statement and claimed police had coerced him.

A trial-within-a-trial was held where the statement was admitted as an admission of evidence.

In aggravation of sentence, State Prosecutor Vusimuzi Nhlapo urged the court to consider the seriousness of the offence.

Nhlapo submitted that the court must take into account that the father never showed remorse and urged it not to deviate from the minimum sentence, as he was supposed to protect her and not abuse her.

The court sentenced the father to life imprisonment on both counts of rape and kidnapping.

“The NPA applauds the work of the prosecution team in ensuring that this perpetrator of the heinous crime is sentenced to life imprisonment.