Durban - The man accused of raping a jogger just two metres from a busy road in Howick earlier this month, has been positively identified by his victim in a formal police identity parade.
This was revealed in the Howick Magistrate’s Court on Friday, where the 25-year-old accused made his bid for bail.
The man, who cannot be named until he has pleaded to the rape charge, will hear whether his bail application is successful on Friday when the magistrate is expected to deliver her ruling.
The man is charged with the rape and robbery of a 38-year-old Johannesburg woman after he grabbed her on Curry’s Post Road and attacked her at knifepoint.
The woman, who had been visiting her parents at the time of the incident, was raped in a roadside ditch less than a kilometre from her family home.
The man is also accused of robbing his victim of her digital watch, tracksuit top and Nike running shoes.
In an affidavit to the court, the accused, from the Mpophomeni informal settlement near Howick, said he intended pleading not guilty.
He has a Grade 11 education, no children, and alleges he has lived in the same house (his parental home) for 10 years and has no passport.
He has no previous convictions or pending cases.
In his affidavit opposing bail, investigating officer, Sergeant Agrippa Mnikathi said the accused’s address had not yet been verified, and indicated that police had been told that he did not live at his parental home.
He said there was sufficient evidence linking the accused to the crime, the most important of which was that the victim in the case had identified the accused as her rapist at a police identity parade on June 18.
Mnikathi said if convicted, the man could faces a heavy sentence, and he was concerned he may evade trial if released on bail.
Daily News