Teen girl allegedly raped by same culprits

HER pet dog laying drugged and unconscious in her yard led an unsuspecting Phoenix teenager into the arms of two robbers who beat and raped her.

It was the same culprits, the 15-year-old girl claims, that had also raped her during another home invasion earlier this year.

According to a police source, the girl, alone at home while her parents were at work recently, had been lured outdoors by the sight of her dog being unresponsive.

“While seated in her lounge waiting for the family’s domestic worker to arrive, she noticed the family pet unconscious in the yard. Concerned, she unlocked the gate and walked towards the dog. She was accosted by the men.”

The source added one of the men had pushed the girl into the house and took her into the lounge, while the other carried the dog and locked it in the bathroom.

“The second suspect ransacked the home taking anything valuable, while his accomplice attacked the girl in the lounge. He allegedly assaulted her several times by banging her head on the floor. She began to feel dizzy and everything around her was a blur.”

The source said the girl further claimed the man climbed on top off her, tore off her pyjama top and started rubbing his face on her chest.

“He then allegedly pulled down her pyjama shorts and penetrated her with his fingers. He was wearing a glove. Soon after he penetrated her with an unknown object.

“The entire ordeal lasted 10 minutes because the men were interrupted by the domestic worker’s arrival. As she screamed for the girl to open the gate, the men fled through the front door. The girl then pressed a panic button alerting a security company and the police were called.”

While the family declined to comment on the incident, the girl’s mother confirmed her daughter had also been raped earlier this year.

Said a man close to the family: “In March there was a similar incident at the home and the girl was raped. She only informed her parents about the ordeal two months later because the suspects threatened to return and kill her if she told anyone.”

He said the girl was traumatised and was undergoing counselling.

Phoenix Community Policing Forum chairman Umesh Singh urged residents to be aware of their surroundings at all times.

“If you notice something suspicious in your neighbourhood don’t investigate it on your own. Always call for help because criminals use various tactics to lure their victims,” he warned.

Women’s rights activist Anshu Padayachee, of the Advice Desk for the Abused, said the rape of women and children in South Africa was “out of control”.

“Harsher sentences need to be handed down to those convicted. The justice system needs to set an example because our women and children need to be protected. Police need to work around the clock to catch the culprits.”

KZN police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said a case of rape was being investigated.