Bob Hewitt still a free man - after being convicted of raping children

20 June 2016 - 19:01 By Roxanne Henderson

Former tennis ace and convicted rapist Bob Hewitt has again managed to hang on to his freedom.This came when the Johannesburg High Court on Monday granted him bail pending his petition to the Constitutional Court to appeal his convictions and sentence. Judge Brian Spilg will provide reasons for this decision on Wednesday. A lawyer on a watching brief for advocacy organisation Women and Men Against Child Abuse‚ Stacey Barbaglia‚ said granting Hewitt bail was a travesty. “This is not a case of justice delayed is justice denied. This is a case of utmost injustice‚” she said.Hewitt must approach the Constitutional Court by July 1 or turn himself in to authorities by July 4. If his appeal bid fails he must hand himself over within seven days.Hewitt had planned to ask the court to extend his bail but applied for bail afresh after he was arrested on Monday morning.Hewitt‚ 76‚ was convicted in March last year of raping two of his former tennis students‚ Theresa "Twiggy" Tolken and a second woman who has asked not to be named‚ in the 1980s. He was also convicted of indecently assaulting a third woman‚ who by order of the court cannot be named‚ in the 1990s.He was then sentenced to an effective six-year prison term and ordered to pay R100‚000 to the justice department for anti-abuse initiatives.The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) earlier this month dismissed Hewitt's appeal of his six-year prison sentence‚ saying he had exploited his authority and responsibility when he abused his child victims.Hewitt‚ who has continued to deny responsibility for the crimes‚ had argued that he deserved a reduced sentence due to his old age and poor health. The SCA said‚ however‚ the trial court had considered this when handing down sentence.Hewitt is out on bail of R10‚000...

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