Tonga - A Swazi national was sentenced to life in jail by the Tonga Regional Court on Tuesday for raping a 10-year-old girl in 2013.
Calvin Mkhatshwa, 50, had pleaded not guilty to the rape charge, a Sapa correspondent reported.
“I wanted to give you a lenient sentence because of your age, but due to the evidence brought before court and that you didn't show any remorse I will give you a sentence that suits your charge,” said magistrate Edgar Moletsane.
He said the girl's parents had trusted Mkhatshwa enough to leave him with their daughter, not knowing he would rape her and threaten to kill her if she ever told anyone about the matter.
“This child is 11-years-old now and she was exposed to sex at a younger age, which will destroy her emotions.
“Sometimes rapists don't kill their victims, but the incidents make them hate themselves,” Moletsane said.
Mkhatshwa, originally from Swaziland, lived in Mgobodzi village near the Swazi border before he was arrested on September 26, 2013, five days after raping the girl at his house.
Moletsane dismissed Mkhatshwa's plea that he had a wife and three children, aged 23, 17, and 12.
Sapa