Johannesburg - The Bloemfontein Regional Court sentenced a 47-year-old former police reservist to 25 years in jail for raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter, Free State police said on Friday.
Spokesperson Sergeant Sinah Mpakane said the 47-year-old was sentenced on Thursday.
He was sentenced to three years for assaulting of his wife; 25 years for raping his 12-year-old step daughter; eight years for attempting to commit sexual offences; 25 years for rape of a then 12-year-old victim using other means to penetrate her; and five years for sexual assault.
"All the sentences are going to run concurrently, meaning he is being imprisoned for 25 years effectively. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm. His name will be entered into the sexual offenders register. He was further declared unfit to work with children. If he applies for parole, the wife must be considered to make a representation to parole board," Mpakane said.
"It was discovered during [the] trial that the accused used to rape his step daughter and assault his step son and his wife from 2008 until 2015. At the time of the incident, the accused was working as police reservist at Bayswater and later at Navalsig police station."
The mother told the court how she opened the case at Umbilo in KwaZulu-Natal, but the man changed his cellphone numbers to evade arrest after being tracked by the investigating officer.
Mpakane said that on December 8, 2016, the investigating officer with assistance from Johannesburg police arrested the man in Roodepoort.
"The accused then abandoned his bail and decided to plead guilty because of the evidence that was placed before court by [the investigating officer] who ensured that [he] remained in custody where he belongs until his sentencing."