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5 months ago
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A 38-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his 13-year-old daughter. (Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images)
- A man who raped his daughter was sentenced to life imprisonment.
- The 38-year-old told his teenage daughter not to report the rape because he would be arrested.
- The man's name will be added to the National Register of Sex Offenders.
A Verulam Regional Court sentenced a man who raped his daughter to life imprisonment.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the man, 38, raped his teenage daughter, 13, in their Verulam home in January 2020.
The incident happened while the girl's siblings and stepmother were present in the home. Ramkisson-Kara said they were asleep in separate rooms.
The man asked the girl not to report the incident because he would be arrested.
Ramkisson-Kara said the girl told the stepmother and her biological mother, who reported the matter to the authorities.
Ramkisson-Kara said the girl received counselling from a Thuthuzela Centre in Phoenix.
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She said a Victim Impact Report presented in court detailed how she was affected by the rape, which she described as "embarrassing".
The man pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations.
However, the evidence from the girl's stepmother and the J88 medical form revealed evidence of the rape.
"The evidence of the J88 form, detailing the injuries sustained by the girl, and the testimony of the medical doctor were also submitted to the court.
"In her statement, the girl said she had loved her father so much, and could not believe that he had raped her. She said the incident left her embarrassed and traumatised, and she had lost her self-confidence," said Ramkisson-Kara.
The court ordered that the man's name be added to the National Register of Sex Offenders and declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Ramkisson-Kara said the NPA welcomed the prosecution.
"The NPA applauds the successful prosecution. We hope that sentences of this nature deter like-minded individuals," she said.
