Rapist parolee gets life for child rape
PLETTENBERG BAY - The rapist of an 11-year-old Plettenberg Bay boy, who was out on parole after a previous rape conviction, has been sentenced to life in prison by the Plettenberg Bay Regional Court.
Randall Booysen (37) of Plettenberg Bay was sentenced by Regional Magistrate Preggy Govender for the rape which took place on 23 August 2019, according to a statement released by the NPA on 15 March. The sentence followed his conviction for the rape of the child who was on his way home after school.
The Green Hearts organisation, that assists vulnerable communities affected by family violence and sexual crimes, had supplied the FCS (Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences) unit with his name and all his details, but he was only arrested on 30 March last year, after the DNA results became known, nearly four years later.
In the NPA statement, Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Adv Nicolette Bell expressed shock at the abuse and betrayal of a minor by an adult who was supposed to protect and accompany the victim home and ensure his safe return after he missed his school transport.
She assured the public that the state will do all in its power to ensure that perpetrators of such heinous crimes get the harshest sentences courts can hand down.
Guilty as charged
The NPA statement said that Booysen pleaded guilty and confessed that he raped the 11-year-old boy on 23 August 2019, after meeting him on the N2 highway opposite the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate's Court.
Prosecutor Johannes Jurie Marx told the court that a security guard at the victim's school sent the Grade 4 learner to buy him a cooldrink. When the victim returned, he noticed that his school transport had left and decided to walk home.
He met the intoxicated accused who was on his way home from Zanzibar Tavern, where he had been drinking and playing pool.
The accused claims the victim asked him for R5, and he promised him R100 if he did something for him. He then dragged the boy into the bushes through an opening in the fence next to the road.
According to evidence the boy walked in front of him, and the accused stumbled, knocking the victim over. He instructed the victim to pull down his pants, lie on his stomach, which he did, and raped him.
Booysen confirmed that he knew that due to the boy's age, he could not consent to sexual intercourse and that although he consumed alcohol before the incident, he had control over his actions, could distinguish between right and wrong and could act by such distinction.
On parole
Marx argued it was a serious offence to commit rape and it is even worse when a child is raped. The victim was traumatised by the incident and he still suffers from aftereffects.
Marx told the court that the accused was previously convicted on a count of rape and was still on parole when he raped the boy.
The crime carries a mandatory term of life imprisonment.
The Green Hearts organisation said they were satisfied with the outcome of the case.
However, Green Hearts member Helene Bezuidenhout, said they are disappointed in the way the FCS handled the matter. "They only responded seven months after the incident in March 2020 when DNA was extracted from Booysen. We had provided the FCS with all Booysen's information in October 2019. He was only arrested on 30 March 2023 after the DNA results became known."
She said the organisation tries to help everyone that approaches it, but is overwhelmed with the huge number of cases in the Plettenberg Bay area. They also assist with cases in Knysna, providing emotional support and organising private counselling sessions for victims of such such crimes.