Father gets life for raping, impregnating daughter

THE Johannesburg Regional Court has sentenced a 47-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping his biological daughter, the National Prosecuting Authority said yesterday.

Phindi Mjonondwane, NPA spokesperson, said the man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, had been charged with one count of rape, alternatively incest, one count of display of child pornography, as well as sexual grooming of a child.

The man was convicted on the charge of rape which he committed over a period of time during 2013, as well as sexual grooming of a child.

Mjonondwane said the 16-year-old girl fell pregnant due to these incidents, as her father continued to deny the allegations despite being linked by DNA.

“An independent laboratory retested the results, and once again they were positively linked to the accused,” said Mjonondwane.

State prosecutor, Patrick Morris, argued that a heinous crime had been committed on an innocent child dependent on adults for protection.

“This is the worst kind of abuse. The father, who should protect his child, raped her, impregnated her and then, the final insult – attempted to make her a liar in a court of law.

“Your worship, it is in the interest of justice and that of society to impose harsher sentences to curb violent crimes against women and children. We cannot ignore the public outcry and their justified concerns as our courts are flooded with rapes and murders of children, seeking drastic measures in that regard,” Morris argued.

Mjonondwane said the State asked the court not to deviate from imposing the prescribed sentence of life imprisonment as it was convinced that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances justifying such departure. – ANA