Man jailed to 20 years for raping his girlfriend's teenage cousin
A Northern Cape man has been sentenced to 20 years’ direct imprisonment for the rape of a teenage girl.
Mondre Whitlow, 33, pleaded guilty to charges of rape, kidnapping, robbery, and assault of a 14-year-old.
The Pofadder Regional Court sentenced Whitlow following a Section 105A plea and sentence agreement.
According to National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Regional Spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane, Whitlow was convicted on five counts and sentenced to a total of 25 years, with 5 years on each rape charge suspended for 5 years.
“The court ordered that all sentences run concurrently, leaving Whitlow to serve an effective 20 years’ imprisonment. In addition, his name will be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders, and he was declared unfit to work with children,” Senokoatsane said.
The incident took place on July 1, 2023, when Whitlow misled the teenager before subjecting her to threats, physical assault, robbery, kidnapping, and repeated sexual assault.
According to the NPA, the accused was known to the victim as he was in a relationship with her cousin and both resided in “the sleepy rural town of Poffader”.
“During the proceedings, Whitlow admitted that his conduct was wrongful, unlawful, and punishable by law,”.
Regional Court Prosecutor, Basil Kock, added that the NPA “will continue to act decisively against perpetrators of sexual offences, ensuring that victims’ voices are heard and justice is served”.
The NPA also commended the “courage of the survivor, the diligent work and the commitment of the prosecution team”.
“All cases of sexual violence encroach on the rights to dignity and privacy of the victims as enshrined in our Constitution. The NPA will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases”.
mthobisi.nozulela@iol.co.za
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