The Malmesbury regional court last week sentenced Denico Leander and Adriaan Pietersen to six life sentences for raping a 32-year-old woman in June 2023.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said on Tuesday the victim was socialising at the Old Scrapyard informal settlement in Malmesbury when they received an alert about an approaching gang.
“Other people managed to run and hide, but unfortunately she remained at the spot, which was a shack where the incident took place.”
He said the accused raped her multiple times then fled the scene. She reported the incident at the police station and the accused were arrested the following morning.
The accused pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutor Kayline Andrea Nel called six witnesses to back up her case.
The accused, in their testimony, sought to discredit the victim, claiming that she was a sex worker who was paid to have consensual sex.
However, the state opposed the claims during cross-examination as it exposed significant contradictions in their versions.
The accused showed no remorse, which posed an elevated risk of reoffending, and there were no compelling circumstances to justify the court from deviating from the prescribed minimum sentences of life in jail.
The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, meaning each accused would serve a life term in jail.
TimesLIVE
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