Five chilling revelations from the trial of 'Dros rapist' Nicholas Ninow

WARNING: Not for sensitive readers

11 September 2019 - 15:48 By Cebelihle Bhengu
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Rape accused Nicholas Ninow in the dock at the North Gauteng High Court.
Rape accused Nicholas Ninow in the dock at the North Gauteng High Court.
Image: Gallo Images/Phill Magakoe

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed to TimesLIVE that it intends to conclude its case against 21-year-old rape accused Nicholas Ninow on Wednesday - and is gunning for life imprisonment.

His seven-year-old victim is also expected to give her version of events, which will be used to counter the allegedly inconsistent version previously given by Ninow.

Here are five spine-chilling details the court has heard in the last two days:

Ninow sat next the children's play area

A Dros employee, who testified against Ninow on condition of anonymity, told the court how he switched tables so he could be closer to the children's play area, shortly after he ordered beer and alcoholic shooters.

“When he arrived, I asked if he wanted a table for one or two, and he said two. He ordered Castle draft and went outside to smoke. He said he was waiting for someone,” she said.

According to the woman, the children were clearly visible from where he sat.

Paranoid and nauseous

During his guilty plea on Monday, Ninow told the court that he had gone to the toilet after feeling nauseous as he had sniffed the drug CAT before going to the restaurant. He said he was feeling paranoid that management might realise that he was under the influence.

“I went to female toilets and entered one of the cubicles,” he said. 

Before he started using drugs, he said he pulled his pants down to create the impression that he was using the toilet, and also took his shirt off because it was wet. Shortly after, the girl pushed the door and told him she wanted to urinate.

Intentional behaviour

Ninow proceeded to tell the court that upon letting in the victim he sat her on the toilet, inserted his penis in her mouth and penetrated her vagina with his finger. He further told the court that he had acted intentionally, even though he was under the influence.

“At the time of committing the offence, I acted intentionally, though I was under the influence of drugs and alcohol,” he said.

The child's mother and the waitresses caught Ninow topless in the cubicle when the victim called for her mother.

Destroying evidence

Although acting intentionally, he said he realised what he was doing was wrong and flushed the drugs he was taking and the girl's panties down the toilet.

“I quickly realised what I was doing was wrong and I immediately stopped,” he claimed.

Childminder resigned 

The woman on duty on the fateful day told the court on Tuesday that she quit her job as a childminder due to the stress and the words uttered by the hysterical mother during their frantic search of her daughter.

At the time the victim disappeared, the childminder had asked a colleague to stand in for her while she went to have lunch at 4pm.

“When I registered the child, she was wearing a purple skirt and tights, but when I saw her in the cubicle, she was not wearing the tights,” she told the court.


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