Rapist who left young girl with extensive injuries handed life term

The Tembisa magistrate's court has sentenced a 40-year-old man to life behind bars for raping and kidnapping a young girl.

Mokete Tshepiso Mokoena was slapped with the hefty sentence after an incident in Olifantsfontein in February 2019 when the girl was walking home after playing next door.

“The accused called the complainant and said she must come to his shack to collect a toy gun and a doll for her and her baby brother. The complainant then followed the accused to his shack,” said NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane.

“When they entered the shack, the accused put her on top of the bed and covered her head with a blanket. The accused then removed her underwear and raped her. The complainant managed to kick him and escaped from his room, running and crying. Her mother saw her coming from the accused’s shack and asked why she was crying. She then told her mother that the accused hurt her.”

The girl's mother lifted her skirt and discovered she was no longer wearing her underwear and was bleeding heavily. She then rushed the girl to the nearest hospital.

"[The staff there] discovered that the injuries were so devastating that the complainant had to be put under anaesthesia for a forensic sample to be collected and for her to be properly examined. The complainant had a third-degree tear on her private part that would require reconstructive surgery.

“The community went and looked for the accused after they heard about the incident. They found him in the bushes and assaulted him before the police intervened and arrested him. In court the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges. The state called 11 witnesses, among others experts from the forensic science laboratory regarding the DNA recovered from the scene, and the doctor who examined the child,” Mjonondwane said.

“The doctor testified that her injuries were life threatening in nature due to extensive blood loss and added that the initial reconstructive surgery was unsuccessful due to the complainant’s small size and lack of tissue needed to repair her pelvic wall. He said that reconstructive surgery can only be attempted once the complainant reaches the age of 12.”

So extensive were the little girl's injuries, Mjonondwane said, she now had to use nappies “as the muscles regulating her bowel and bladder were also torn during the incident”. 

The man was also handed a 12-month term for kidnapping.

“The court ordered that the accused’s name be entered into the national registry for sex offenders and he was declared unfit to possess a firearm,” she said.

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