Durban - A 36-year-old man who was convicted of raping his teenage stepdaughter has been handed a life sentence.
The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, was convicted in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court this week.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said that the accused, who lives in Northdale, had raped the victim on numerous occasions between the period of September 2016 to June 2017.
The court heard that he was married to the victim’s mother.
Provincial spokesperson for the NPA, Natasha Kara said he would rape the 13-year-old girl while her mother was at work.
“The child did not tell her mother for fear that her mother would not believe her.
“She eventually confided in her cousin,” she said.
The cousin informed her parents and they told the police.
“The man was arrested and the child was taken to the Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) in Edendale where she received the necessary services and psycho-social support to deal with her trauma,” Kara said.
In a victim impact statement, the child said the incident has left her emotionally traumatised.
“Due to this she has attempted suicide and had to leave school because she couldn’t concentrate. She was also affected by the fact that her mother did not believe her claims and chose to support her stepfather instead of her,” Kara said.
IOL