Johannesburg - A serial rapist who would keep his victims’ panties as a memento has been found guilty on 30 counts of rape.
Albert Morake, a married father of one, would pocket the women’s underwear after the assaults. When his victims asked for them, he would refuse and walk away.
The panties were not found at the home he shared with his wife and child.
In one instance, police who visited the crime scene after one of Morake’s many rapes, found his victims’ underwear in a ditch not far from where he had violated the woman.
Morake, a Mozambican who has been living in the country illegally after fraudulently obtaining a South African ID about 20 years ago, started his reign of terror in 2007.
His criminal career was interrupted by a short prison sentence he served from 2008 for an unnamed offence not related to the rapes.
On his release in 2010, he started where he had left off – terrorising the communities of Tembisa, Ivory Park, Olievenhoutbosch, Kaalfontein, Rabie Ridge and Olifantsfontein.
One of his victims was a 14-year-old girl.
Three female joggers in Rabie Ridge were also victims of the rapist. Morake and an accomplice approached the trio with a gun, made them lie down on the ground, tied them up and took turns raping them.
When he was finally arrested on August 19, 2012 he was facing 175 charges that included 53 of kidnapping, 27 of robbery with aggravating circumstances, 34 of rape, 12 of sexual offences and related matters, and eight of unlawful possession of a firearm.
Morake’s accomplice is still at large.
Morake pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Where his DNA was found in his victims’ vaginas, he denied raping the women, saying he had had consensual sex with them after meeting them in a tavern.
In one instance, he used a cloth to try to wipe his semen from his victim.
However, his explanation failed to convince the court, which branded it far-fetched.
Handing down judgment in the high court in Johannesburg sitting in Palm Ridge on Monday, Judge Rean Strydom said Morake’s modus operandi was to attack couples standing outside their houses or sitting in their cars in front of their homes.
He would then force the men into the back seat and tie them up, take the women into the bushes and rape them.
Morake also threatened his victims with a gun.
Judge Strydom said the pattern in the crimes Morake committed followed each other closely, and the court was of the view that he was the offender in all the cases.
“Regarding the dates (during which the offences were committed), it is clear that the picture that presents itself is of a serial rapist who committed the crimes with regular occurrence,” Strydom said.
He found Morake guilty on 30 counts of rape, 42 counts of kidnapping, three counts of attempted robbery, 24 counts of robbery with aggravated circumstances, one count of attempted murder, six counts of theft, 28 counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, six counts of unlawful possession of ammunition and two counts of assault.
Arguments in mitigation and aggravation of sentence are expected on Tuesday.
Strydom indicated he might begin sentencing Morake.
The Star