Staff Reporter
The Bloemfontein Magistrates Court has sentenced a 28-year-old man from Kopanong in Bloemfontein to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of raping a seven-year-old girl in 2011.
Magistrate Roselina Sepapo sentenced Pina Blou for the rape he committed when he was 19 years old.
According to evidence presented in court, on October 26, 2011, the complainant was sent by her grandmother to get some washing powder from the mother of the accused.
The complainant only found the accused at the house.
The accused then took the complainant to a nearby shop and raped her upon their return.
The grandmother realised that there was something wrong with the complainant when she got home.
She asked her what had happened and she demonstrated to the grandmother what the accused did to her.
The grandmother reported the matter to the police and the accused was arrested.
The trial started in 2012 but on November 21, 2013, the legal representative of the accused did not come to court as he was sick.
The case was postponed to a later date but the accused failed to appear on the subsequent dates.
His bail was finally forfeited on December 6, 2013 and a warrant was issued a week later on December 14.
Blou evaded arrest until he was finally caught on July 29, 2019.
In aggravation of sentence, state prosecutor Leon Ehlers described the accused as someone with no respect for family bonds as he took advantage of an innocent young girl.
“The complainant regarded the accused as an uncle because there was a relationship between their families,” Ehlers told the court.
He said Blou misused the trust the complainant had in him.
During trial, the complainant used dolls to demonstrate what happened.
“According to her demonstration it looks like the accused raped her twice even though he was charged for one count of rape.
“This is a clear indication that he was going to continue with his evil deeds if he was not arrested.
“He took away her virginity and exposed her to a sexual deed she was not supposed to be exposed to at that age.
“He also ran away from the law, failing to account for his actions. His actions tore the two families apart,” Ehlers pointed out.
In sentencing the accused, Sepapo stated that his behaviour was unbecoming and he failed to show remorse as he was on the run for eight years.
She subsequently imposed a sentence of life imprisonment on the accused.