Scottburgh - A 26-year-old man has been handed two life sentences for raping his 11-year-old niece, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Friday.
Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said the 11-year-old girl went missing on November 25, 2016, and returned home the following morning.
She told her mother that she had slept over at her uncle’s home.
"Suspecting that something was amiss, the mother questioned her further and learnt that the child had been sexually violated by her uncle. A medical examination at the hospital in Scottburgh confirmed that the child had indeed been sexually assaulted."
A case of rape was opened and the child's uncle was arrested.
He was convicted on two counts of rape and handed two life sentences at the Scottburgh Regional Court on April 20.