Stepfather gets life for raping girls over 7 years
A 51-YEAR-OLD Randfontein man, convicted of raping and sexually assaulting his stepdaughters, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the high court in Joburg yesterday.
In February, Judge Cassim Moosa found the man guilty of rape and indecent assault of his two stepdaughters. The man cannot be named to protect the identity of the girls.
Judge Moosa said the man chose to shatter the trust of his stepdaughters, despite them loving him as their father.
The rape and sexual assault went on for seven years.
Judge Moosa said family circumstances, level of education, whether he was a first offender, and remorse were considered when making a decision on a suitable sentence.
He said the victims did not testify during pre-sentencing proceedings and had taken a turn for the worst after having to talk about the incidents in court.
The traumatic incidents the two sisters were experiencing at home were discovered when they confided in their school counsellor after they were not assisted by their mother, who told the court she was not a confrontational person and did not know how to address the matter with her husband.
“The accused has shown no remorse during the trial and turned his stepdaughters into his wives and had regular sexual intercourse with them,” the judge said.
The mother of the two girls had witnessed the man putting his hands in the underwear of one of her daughters but failed to question him about his misconduct.
The sisters told the court that they initially kept quiet, because they thought all young girls experienced the same thing in their homes. But they found the courage to speak out after a friend, who was experiencing the same abuse, told them it was wrong.
Judge Moosa found that the accused had failed dismally as a father and had left his family destitute.
The judge said the effects of the continued assault and rape on one of the girls resulted in her having anxiety, fear, trust issues, suicidal tendencies and promiscuous behaviour at a young age. – ANA