A month ago Steven Hanson was released as part of President Jacob Zuma’s remission programme – and on Thursday he appeared in the Porterville Magistrate’s Court on charges of rape and abduction.
Hanson, 51, and his co-accused Jurgen George, who is charged only with rape, were arrested at Hanson’s home in Porterville.
It is alleged that the two men kept a 39-year-old woman at his house for three days and raped her several times.
On Thursday the family of the woman said there should be no mercy for the accused.
Hanson was released from Voorberg Prison near Porterville on June 11 as part of Zuma’s remission programme. He was serving a two-year sentence for possession of drugs and an 18-month sentence for indecent assault. When he returned to the community, he told neighbours that he wanted to show them that he had changed and wanted to do good.
The alleged victim’s sister said: “When he came out he spoke to me so nicely and said he wants to provide for his children because he has been in and out of prison his whole life and he could never provide for them. He said he knows the community is watching him. I don’t understand why he then did something like this.”
Two weeks ago, the Department of Correctional Services said 71 of the 40 365 offenders who had been released had been rearrested.
The offenders were re-arrested on charges of rape, attempted murder, robbery, assault, kidnapping, possession of stolen goods and housebreaking. Hanson’s victim, who is from Lotus River, was visiting a relative in Porterville. Her niece said they had spent the night at a local pub and had left separately.
She presumed Hanson had come across the victim while she was walking home in the early hours of the morning.
Hanson and George allegedly kept her locked up in the house and a small shed in the backyard from Sunday until Tuesday evening. The family reported her missing on Monday and a search party got under way with police and community members.
The niece said: “When he came out, he made everyone feel that he changed and wanted to do good but then something like this happens... There must be no mercy for him and he must never be part of this community.”
The woman’s sister said: “They (the accused) saw the police and watched us look for her everywhere, I don’t know why they didn’t just let her go. When the police found her she was crying. As a family we are very disappointed that he was released because she is filled with fear now.”
At some point while she was being kept at Hanson’s home, the victim asked if she could SMS to let her family know she was fine. The family gave the number to police. The woman answered but was unable to speak as she was sobbing.
Her sister calmed her and heard where she had allegedly been kept.
Correctional Services spokesman Simphiwe Xako said Hanson had qualified for the six-month remission of sentence while his parole period was set for June 11 to August 12 this year.
Xako said: “As much as the constitution provides for the department to be the custodian of offenders, they have to be released once they have been rehabilitated. We play our role in the rehabilitation of offenders but there are various dynamics with human beings so some offenders do commit crimes again.”
Spokesman for the Presidency Mac Maharaj referred queries to Correctional Services. He said remissions were done at the recommendation of Correctional Services.
Hanson’s case was postponed until yesterday for bail information but the State said it intends to oppose bail.
Cape Times