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Empty benches in court.
A 41-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison by the Gqeberha Regional Court for raping and impregnating his now 20-year-old daughter.
The abuse occurred over an eight-year period, starting when the victim was just 10 years old.
The court heard that the man manipulated and threatened his daughter into silence, even advising her to lie about the pregnancy.
The victim kept the abuse a secret for nearly eight years.
The accused was also sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for sexual assault, to run concurrently with the life sentence. The court commended the bravery of the victim in coming forward and testifying against her abuser.
NPA Spokesperson, Luxolo Tyali says they welcome this sentence.
“The man who cannot be identified was sentenced to a further six-year imprisonment for sexual assault. The court found that he began sexually abusing his daugter when she was 10 years old, when she moved in with him following a family dispute. The assaults continued until the girl was 18 and she got impregnated by her father. She is now 20 years old and gave birth to a child in 2019,” says Tyali.
