Action Society had reason to celebrate at the Mitchell’s Plain Regional Court on Thursday after the rapist of a teenage girl received a guilty verdict, more than 570 days since the case first went to court. Sentencing will be heard on 28 October 2024.
The (then) 12-year-old girl was raped by her uncle on 6 July 2019, exactly 1 814 days ago, and it proved to be one of Action Society’s most frustrating and drawn- out cases. Now, five years later this case is finally gaining momentum and we are one step closer to justice.
“This beautiful girl was a young child when her rape took place. Much of her childhood has been stolen from her by a lagging justice system. Now as a young woman, we hope that this judgement will bring her some closure and be a first step towards restoring her broken faith in the justice system,” said Action Society’s Kaylynn Palm.
Many unnecessary problems plagued this case from the beginning, causing the case to be postponed more than 21 times since it was first heard in April of 2022. At first technical equipment at the Mitchell’s Plain sexual offences court was faulty, causing numerous postponements. Once the court was able to get their systems to work again, the battle to get a French interpreter began, an issue which would plague the case for more than a year and meant the closing arguments could only be made in June of 2024.
We hope that sentencing will be swift and that the monster that brutalised the victim at such a young age, will receive the maximum punishment.
