21 years for brutal rape

A 23-year-old resident of the Ohangwena Region who admitted in the High Court at Oshakati that he raped and sodomised a six-year-old girl was sentenced to 21 years’ imprisonment yesterday.

“The offence is very serious, not only because the small girl’s privacy was invaded and her innocence for ever taken away, but that the offence was also committed in a most brutal manner,” Judge Louis Muller told Fanuel Kaanyumbo when he sentenced him yesterday. Kaanyumbo (23), who is from Onakamwandi village in the Ohangwena Region, pleaded guilty to a charge of rape when his trial started in the High Court at Oshakati on Tuesday.In his plea, he told the court that on October 22 2005, he approached a six-year-old girl at Onakamwandi village in the district of Eenhana in Ohangwena region, forced the child to remove her shorts and panties and threatened to kill her if she did not obey his instructions.After that, he said, the little girl obeyed his instructions and he raped her by force.The court heard that, apart from raping her, Kaanyumbo also sodomised the little girl.The girl later reported the incident to her parents, who went and reported it to the Police, leading to Kaanyumbo’s arrest.In his plea, Kaanyumbo told the court that he knew that what he was doing was wrong and unlawful.”I know that what I did was wrong and that I could be punished for that.I regret what I did and beg for forgiveness from the complainant and her parents and mercy from the court,” Kaanyumbo told the court.When sentencing him, Judge Muller told Kaanyumbo that the offence he committed was a very serious one and that he needed to receive serious and heavy punishment.Judge Muller told Kaanyumbo that his act also caused what appears to be permanent physical harm and that the psychological and emotional after-effects are still present to such an extent that the girl is still frightened and wets her bed.”There is no doubt that she will need psychological professional help in the future and that there may be also physical damage that needs urgent medical care,” Judge Muller said.Kaanyumbo (23), who is from Onakamwandi village in the Ohangwena Region, pleaded guilty to a charge of rape when his trial started in the High Court at Oshakati on Tuesday.In his plea, he told the court that on October 22 2005, he approached a six-year-old girl at Onakamwandi village in the district of Eenhana in Ohangwena region, forced the child to remove her shorts and panties and threatened to kill her if she did not obey his instructions.After that, he said, the little girl obeyed his instructions and he raped her by force.The court heard that, apart from raping her, Kaanyumbo also sodomised the little girl.The girl later reported the incident to her parents, who went and reported it to the Police, leading to Kaanyumbo’s arrest.In his plea, Kaanyumbo told the court that he knew that what he was doing was wrong and unlawful.”I know that what I did was wrong and that I could be punished for that.I regret what I did and beg for forgiveness from the complainant and her parents and mercy from the court,” Kaanyumbo told the court.When sentencing him, Judge Muller told Kaanyumbo that the offence he committed was a very serious one and that he needed to receive serious and heavy punishment.Judge Muller told Kaanyumbo that his act also caused what appears to be permanent physical harm and that the psychological and emotional after-effects are still present to such an extent that the girl is still frightened and wets her bed.”There is no doubt that she will need psychological professional help in the future and that there may be also physical damage that needs urgent medical care,” Judge Muller said.