Life sentence for Dundee man who brutally raped and attempted to murder his girlfriend
The Dundee Regional Court has sentenced a 44-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping his girlfriend and 20 years imprisonment for attempting to kill her twice in April 2023.
According to Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, the National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal, the perpetrator and his victim had been living together at the victim’s home. On April 8, 2023, the victim was outside washing clothes when the man got into an argument with her. He punched her with a clenched fist, asking her to go inside the house.
“When inside, he hit her with a steel object on her stomach and chopped her with a bush knife on her head. She sustained serious injuries and spent the night at her mother-in-law’s homestead.
She went to the hospital the next day, where she received stitches and treatment for her injuries, before returning home to the accused,” Ramkisson-Kara added.
She said that as the victim slept that night, the man tied her hands and feet together with a rope. He then brutally raped her multiple times.
“Thereafter, he strangled her with a belt until she lost consciousness. The accused kept the complainant in the house for some time. However, she managed to escape and went to the police station, where she reported only the attempted murders,” she said.
During a consultation with the prosecutor, when the docket had gone to court, the victim eventually divulged the rape incident.
The public prosecutor, Sonto Rebecca, led the evidence from the victim, the prosecutor informed of the rape, and the medical doctor.
In her victim impact statement, the victim said her perpetrator was everything to her. However, on the day of the incident, he became a different person. She stated that she had to undergo counselling due to the brutal rape.
The court sentenced the man to 10 years’ imprisonment for each of the two counts of attempted murder.
“He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm,” Ramkisson-Kara explained.
She said the NPA welcomes this successful prosecution.
“We remain committed to fighting the scourge of gender-based violence and will continue to pursue justice on behalf of the victims of crime,” she added.
nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za