Cape Town - A man who raped and killed a Robertson woman was sentenced to life in jail by the Western Cape High Court on Thursday, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said.
Jaylin Karelse, 20, entered a plea and sentencing agreement and received concurrent sentences of life and 35 years, said provincial NPA spokesman Eric Ntabazalila.
Karelse pleaded guilty to two attempted rapes, rape, murder, attempted murder and theft.
In October 2011, Karelse broke into Marlene Standaar's house and tried to rape her.
Ntabazalila said Standaar screamed, fought back and ran to her neighbour's house. Her attacker escaped through a window and she never identified him.
On January 1, 2012, Karelse saw her lying on a bed through a window and used an open window to enter the house.
“He raped her, tied a rope around her neck to strangle her. She died. Her Nokia phone and gold wrist watch were also stolen from her property,” Ntabazalila said.
“The accused confessed to the police and was also identified by DNA analysis as the rapist.”
The State revealed that Karelse had previous convictions of housebreaking and theft in January last year, when he was sentenced to a year in prison, suspended for five years.
In March last year, he was sentenced to three years in jail, suspended for five years, after being convicted of attempted rape.
“The NPA welcomes this sentence as it sends out a clear message that crimes against women and children will not be tolerated by the courts,” Ntabazalila said.
Sapa