Mbombela - A mentally ill man was sentenced to 10 years' jail by the Nelspruit Regional Court on Tuesday for raping his 16-year-old mentally handicapped brother.
The 36-year-old man from Matsulu, outside Mbombela, Mpumalanga, was found guilty of rape, a Sapa correspondent reported.
“What makes it harder is that you did not show remorse and the victim is mentally impaired, which means it would be hard for him to say yes or no to whatever happens to him,” said Magistrate Willie Wilkens.
The crime took place on April 30, 2011 and the man was arrested on May 5 that year. He was not given bail.
Wilkens told the court the man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his younger brother, had followed his brother to his room and raped him.
The magistrate said rape victims lost their dignity and remained traumatised from the ordeal.
“Once you rape a person, he or she does not see his or her dignity anymore,” said Wilkens.
The court heard the rapist suffered from a mental illness, but was stable when he took medication. - Sapa