Life sentence for dad who raped daughter, 6, and paid her to keep quiet

A 40-year-old South African father who defiled his six-year-old daughter two years ago has been given life imprisonment. 

This is according to the country’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), which welcomed the sentence handed down by the Gauteng Springs regional court.

“On June 16, 2018, while the mother of the child had left her with the accused in their home, he penetrated her both anally and vaginally. After the incident, he gave her money and asked her not to tell anyone about what had happened.

“Three days after the incident, while the child was visiting her grandmother, she noticed how the child was overly emotional and uncomfortable. Upon inquiring, the child told her about the rape,” the spokesperson for the authority, Lumnka Mahajana, said.

The grandmother took the child to the hospital, where it was confirmed that the child had been raped.

“The grandmother reported the incident to the police and the accused was arrested on the same day. He denied the allegations,” Mahajana said.

Prosecutor Adele Erasmus argued that crimes against children should never be tolerated in a civilised society. She said the man was the father of the child and had the responsibility to love and protect her.

“Instead, he abused his position and breached her trust in one of the most unimaginable ways.”  The child had extensive injuries. She added that the father spared her no thought by letting her testify about the ordeal. Therefore, the man needed to be removed from the society indefinitely, Erasmus said.