A former basketball coach has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the high court in Cape Town for the kidnapping, rape and murder of a 12-year-old team player whom he claimed had “rejected” him.
Marvin Minnaar, who coached the Hout Bay Snipers, kidnapped 12-year-old Sibusiso Dakuse on February 26 2020.
Dakuse lived with his grandmother in Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay. She raised the alarm when he disappeared, leading to a widespread search which included questioning Minnaar.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Minnaar and his stepfather went to the boy's house to ask if he had been found. He claimed to have walked home with the child but said they parted ways close to the police station.
“He kept his lie even to the deceased’s grieving father, who inquired about his son’s disappearance. Police found the deceased’s naked body lying face down in the reeds of a wetland off a horse trail two days after his disappearance. They arrested the accused later that day. CCTV footage showed the deceased desperately attempting to flee from the accused and him speedily chasing, catching and dragging the boy back into the bushes,” said Ntabazalila.
“Medical evidence revealed that he had a contusion in the anal area, and his neck had ligature marks around it. The postmortem report revealed that he died of strangulation and that the rest of his body had multiple abrasions and a blunt-force injury to his left eye.”
A clinical psychologist's report presented to court to determine if Minnaar was a dangerous criminal revealed he was evasive when answering questions and did not provide a detailed explanation about his actions. He claimed not to have realised the extent to which he choked the boy and said he felt rejected by the child.
The report flagged antisocial personality traits and a history of problems with authority figures, trouble with the law and violating social norms with no regard for the consequences.
He was sentenced to eight years direct imprisonment for kidnapping, life imprisonment for rape, and life imprisonment for murder. The court ordered that his sentence for kidnapping run concurrently with the life sentences.
Minnaar was declared unfit to possess a firearm or to work with children and his name will be entered in the National Child Protection Register and National Register for Sex Offenders.
TimesLIVE
Basketball coach gets life for murder, rape, kidnapping of child player
Image: Supplied
A former basketball coach has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the high court in Cape Town for the kidnapping, rape and murder of a 12-year-old team player whom he claimed had “rejected” him.
Marvin Minnaar, who coached the Hout Bay Snipers, kidnapped 12-year-old Sibusiso Dakuse on February 26 2020.
Dakuse lived with his grandmother in Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay. She raised the alarm when he disappeared, leading to a widespread search which included questioning Minnaar.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Minnaar and his stepfather went to the boy's house to ask if he had been found. He claimed to have walked home with the child but said they parted ways close to the police station.
“He kept his lie even to the deceased’s grieving father, who inquired about his son’s disappearance. Police found the deceased’s naked body lying face down in the reeds of a wetland off a horse trail two days after his disappearance. They arrested the accused later that day. CCTV footage showed the deceased desperately attempting to flee from the accused and him speedily chasing, catching and dragging the boy back into the bushes,” said Ntabazalila.
“Medical evidence revealed that he had a contusion in the anal area, and his neck had ligature marks around it. The postmortem report revealed that he died of strangulation and that the rest of his body had multiple abrasions and a blunt-force injury to his left eye.”
A clinical psychologist's report presented to court to determine if Minnaar was a dangerous criminal revealed he was evasive when answering questions and did not provide a detailed explanation about his actions. He claimed not to have realised the extent to which he choked the boy and said he felt rejected by the child.
The report flagged antisocial personality traits and a history of problems with authority figures, trouble with the law and violating social norms with no regard for the consequences.
He was sentenced to eight years direct imprisonment for kidnapping, life imprisonment for rape, and life imprisonment for murder. The court ordered that his sentence for kidnapping run concurrently with the life sentences.
Minnaar was declared unfit to possess a firearm or to work with children and his name will be entered in the National Child Protection Register and National Register for Sex Offenders.
TimesLIVE
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