DURBAN - A 22-year-old man who raped an 83-year-old wheelchair-bound pensioner has been jailed for life.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the incident took place in November 2018 in the Ntshawini area near KwaDukuza.
The KwaDukuza Regional Court heard the accused, who was known to the victim, entered her home in the early hours of the morning.
“He dropped her from the bed onto the floor and repeatedly banged her head on the cement.
“The accused then raped her, stole her bag, containing R27 and fled the scene,” said NPA spokesperson Natasha Kara.
The victim waited until morning and called out for help when her neighbour walked past.
She was taken to hospital for treatment and she received psycho-social intervention at the KwaDukuza Thuthuzela Care Centre.
State prosecutor Ronita Lutchman led the evidence of the vicitm’s daughter who testified that her mother was able to identify the accused by his clothing and he had visited her grandson.
In court, the accused denied the victim’s claims and said that he spent the night of the incident drinking with his friends and later went home. However, when called to testify in his defence, his friends could not confirm that he had gone straight home.
He was also jailed for an additional 12 months for robbery.
In a victim impact statement, the pensioner said “no words” could describe the trauma she suffered during the incident.
She was a helpless old lady who could not fight back.
She said she considered the accused to be like her grandson and he took advantage of her vulnerability.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal Advocate Elaine Zungu welcomed the conviction and sentence.
“Gender-based violence needs to be fought vigorously as this type of crime is rife in our society.
“It is hoped that this sentence will send out a strong message that gender-based violence will not be tolerated within our society. We will continue to focus on these types of crimes,” said Zungu.
IOL