A high school pupil who was part of a gang that raped a 13-year-old girl has been jailed for life.
The 19-year-old Grade 8 pupil of ZB Kunene Secondary School in KaNyamazane pleaded not guilty to rape but was convicted in the Nelspruit regional court on Thursday.
The girl was walking home after school in August when the teenager and three of his friends attacked her.
She testified that she knew the 19-year-old boy from the neighbourhood. She said he raped her first. His friends then took turns and left, but he stayed behind to rape her again. He threatened to assault her if she told anyone what happened.
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She said she couldn't remember how she got home. She told her family what had happened and they took her to the police station, from which she was taken to a doctor who confirmed she had been raped.
The boy was arrested a few days later. Two of his friends were also arrested, but were acquitted because the girl couldn't positively identify them. The fourth suspect is still at large.
The neighbour is a first offender, but the court rejected his lawyer's request to sentence him to correctional supervision. The court noted that he didn't show any remorse.
Magistrate Kgame Shai said the sentence would act as a deterrent to young people who thought their age would let them off the hook for serious crimes. - African Eye News Service
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This article was originally published on page 5 of Pretoria News on April 07, 2008
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