A 56-year-old man was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment at the Parow Regional Court on Thursday after being found guilty of two counts of rape, sexual assault and flashing his two grandchildren.
The two grandchildren were going to visit their grandmother and the accused for the weekend while their parents were in the process of moving in February 2017.
When the kids returned to their parents on the Sunday, the eldest daughter told her mother that the accused had touched her inappropriately and put his fingers in her genitalia while she was bathing. She reported that the same had happened to her younger sister and that the accused would often walk around the house naked. The younger sister reported that these instances occurred frequently.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) the accused denied everything. The kids’ grandmother was called to testify on behalf of the accused, however, the court found that there were material contradictions between their testimonies. The court thus rejected the accused’s recall of events and found him guilty.
The NPA says that it is satisfied with the sentence by the court as it forms part of the efforts to fight against gender-based violence.
