The Johannesburg high court on Monday sentenced a Kempton Park couple to lengthy jail terms for sexually abusing their three minor children for more than three years.
The 43-year-old man was sentenced to an effective life term and his 33-year-old wife to 25 years' imprisonment.
They were convicted of 17 counts of rape, four counts of conspiracy to commit a sexual offence, four counts of aiding and abetting another person to commit a sexual offence, three counts of compelled rape, two counts of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, four counts of sexual grooming of children, four counts of compelling or causing children to witness sexual offences, two counts of exposure or display of or causing exposure of children pornography and four counts of sexual assault.
According to Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane, the couple sexually abused their children from 2017 to 2020.
She said the victims were under the age of 10 years when the incidents happened. “The accused would blindfold and rape one of the children while the others were in another room.
“Both accused sexually penetrated the complainants by inserting fingers and toys in their private parts. They sometimes ordered the complainants to have sexual activity with each other,” she said.
In some instances, the victims were forced to watch the two accused perform sexual acts with one another and watch porn videos on television. The parents also threatened to kill the victims if they ever told anyone about it.
At some stage, one of the victims lived with her paternal grandparents in Nigel on the East Rand.
The father would visit the victim and his parents. “On these visits, he slept in the complainant’s bed and raped her. Her grandmother once witnessed this abuse and confronted the accused, who responded that it was a habit that he could not stop,” Mjonondwane said.
The other two victims went to live with their grandmother in the Western Cape. They displayed sexual behaviour towards each other prompting their grandmother to take them to a doctor to be examined which led to their disclosure of the abuse.
“After their disclosure, the three youngest complainants were fostered by the accused's cousin and his wife. During this time, the complainants were found playing with each other's private parts.
“When confronted, the complainants replied that they learnt it from their parents. A few months later, the complainants fully disclosed to their family what both their parents did to them. The family members then informed a social worker about the involvement of both parents and the matter was further investigated by the police,” Mjonondwane said.
The parents were arrested in February 2022.
They pleaded not guilty to all charges and blamed their cousin and his wife for brainwashing the children and forcing them to fabricate the charges, alleging their family wanted to adopt the victims.
“In arguing for a harsh sentence, senior state advocate Rolene Barnard argued that the court needed to send a strong message that will guarantee that justice is served for the young and vulnerable.
“She further argued that the children’s first consensual intimate experience was robbed from them and that the accused exploited the relationship bond between parents and children,” said Mjonondwane.
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Kempton Park couple sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing their children
Image: 123RF/Andriy Popov
The Johannesburg high court on Monday sentenced a Kempton Park couple to lengthy jail terms for sexually abusing their three minor children for more than three years.
The 43-year-old man was sentenced to an effective life term and his 33-year-old wife to 25 years' imprisonment.
They were convicted of 17 counts of rape, four counts of conspiracy to commit a sexual offence, four counts of aiding and abetting another person to commit a sexual offence, three counts of compelled rape, two counts of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, four counts of sexual grooming of children, four counts of compelling or causing children to witness sexual offences, two counts of exposure or display of or causing exposure of children pornography and four counts of sexual assault.
According to Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane, the couple sexually abused their children from 2017 to 2020.
She said the victims were under the age of 10 years when the incidents happened. “The accused would blindfold and rape one of the children while the others were in another room.
“Both accused sexually penetrated the complainants by inserting fingers and toys in their private parts. They sometimes ordered the complainants to have sexual activity with each other,” she said.
In some instances, the victims were forced to watch the two accused perform sexual acts with one another and watch porn videos on television. The parents also threatened to kill the victims if they ever told anyone about it.
At some stage, one of the victims lived with her paternal grandparents in Nigel on the East Rand.
The father would visit the victim and his parents. “On these visits, he slept in the complainant’s bed and raped her. Her grandmother once witnessed this abuse and confronted the accused, who responded that it was a habit that he could not stop,” Mjonondwane said.
The other two victims went to live with their grandmother in the Western Cape. They displayed sexual behaviour towards each other prompting their grandmother to take them to a doctor to be examined which led to their disclosure of the abuse.
“After their disclosure, the three youngest complainants were fostered by the accused's cousin and his wife. During this time, the complainants were found playing with each other's private parts.
“When confronted, the complainants replied that they learnt it from their parents. A few months later, the complainants fully disclosed to their family what both their parents did to them. The family members then informed a social worker about the involvement of both parents and the matter was further investigated by the police,” Mjonondwane said.
The parents were arrested in February 2022.
They pleaded not guilty to all charges and blamed their cousin and his wife for brainwashing the children and forcing them to fabricate the charges, alleging their family wanted to adopt the victims.
“In arguing for a harsh sentence, senior state advocate Rolene Barnard argued that the court needed to send a strong message that will guarantee that justice is served for the young and vulnerable.
“She further argued that the children’s first consensual intimate experience was robbed from them and that the accused exploited the relationship bond between parents and children,” said Mjonondwane.
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