Police welcome life sentence handed to child rapist

29 November 2022 - 21:34 By TimesLIVE
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A man who raped a 12-year-old girl in Kuruman in 2017 has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
A man who raped a 12-year-old girl in Kuruman in 2017 has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Image: 123RF/Artit Oubkaew

Police in Northern Cape have welcomed the life sentence handed down to John Muller, 49, for the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Kuruman, which happened five years ago.

On October 26 2017, Muller asked the girl to accompany him to a tuck shop in Bankara Village. On the way to the shop, he dragged her into the veld and raped her.

He then assaulted her and took her to his shack, where he continued to rape her, police spokesperson Lt-Col Sergio Kock said.

Kock said the girl’s mother and members of the local community policing forum (CPF) found her in the suspect’s shack. The suspect was immediately arrested with the assistance of the police.

On Monday, the Kuruman Regional Court found Muller guilty of rape and sentenced him to life in prison.

Northern Cape police commissioner Lt-Gen Koliswa Otola commended Capt Caren Nel from the Kuruman family violence, child protection and sexual offences (FCS) unit for her meticulous investigation that led to the sentence.

She also applauded the CPF for the role it played in the apprehension and arrest of the rapist.

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