Free State rapist, 82, sentenced to life via video link while recovering in hospital

An 82-year-old Free State man who raped an 8-year-old child while other children watched was given a life sentence while in a hospital bed recovering from hip-replacement surgery .

He had required surgery after falling in a shower in prison while awaiting sentencing.

“The sentencing proceedings were conducted via audio-visual link to the accused in the hospital. He has been in custody since conviction and is guarded by the department of correctional services,” said Free State police spokesperson Brig Thandi Mbambo.

According to Mbambo, while people have been sentenced via video link before, it was a first in South Africa that a sentence was handed out to the convicted in hospital instead of the court waiting until they had recuperated.

The rape happened in July 2024 and came to light after the child told a teacher about what the man, from Petrusburg, had done to her.

“She reported to the teacher that ‘Oom Bennie steeka haar’. When the teacher asked what ‘steeka’ meant, the girl demonstrated sexual movements with her body.”

Mbambo said police were called and the child reported that the old man gave her and her friends bread, biscuits and soft drinks and let them swim in his pool, after which he would rape her.

“She reported that he raped her in his bedroom, on the bed, while other children were watching,” Mbambo said.

The man was arrested. Mbambo said the child was a good witness whose version was corroborated by her two friends who witnessed the rape. The forensic nurse testified that the medical report was in line with what was reported, Mbambo said.

However, the old man denied the accusations, saying the children had been instructed to make false allegations against him.

“His version was rejected. The magistrate found that all the children were credible witnesses and that they would not have been able to provide such detail if they had been coached or instructed to make false allegations. She rejected the accused’s version and convicted him of rape, sexual exploitation and causing a child to witness sexual acts.

The man’s lawyer asked the court not to send him to prison because of his age. That was rejected too.

“The state argued that his age did not stop him from committing these horrific offences and that the court should sentence him to the prescribed minimum sentences,” said Mbambo.

He was handed a life sentence for rape, 15 years for sexual exploitation and four years for causing a child to witness sexual acts.