Koës rapist sent to jail for 15 years

KOËS resident Willem van Rensburg was sentenced to an effective 15 years in prison for the rape of a minor in the Keetmanshoop Regional Court on Wednesday.

Van Rensburg, 38, pleaded guilty to the charge of rape. In his plea explanation, Van Rensburg admitted that he had raped the then 16-year-old girl at Koës on June 29 2005. A medical report indicated that the girl had sustained multiple cuts, bruises and bite marks during the assault. Before announcing the sentence of 17 years’ imprisonment, of which two years were suspended for five years, Regional Magistrate Godwin Chizhanda said that Van Rensburg had not only used his age but also his physical superiority to raped the girl. ‘In my view it’s the worst type of rape,’ he said. ‘The society calls for adequate sentences to deter would-be offenders of crimes such as these.’ In his submission, Defence Counsel Kallie Le Roux had requested a 10-year jail term for his client, arguing a 10-year sentence would be more appropriate because the injuries sustained by the complainant could not be described as grievous bodily harm. He further said 99 per cent of the injuries were inflicted during a struggle before the rape. Le Roux also said a long sentence would not rehabilitate the perpetrator, as meaningful rehabilitation programmes did not exist in prisons because of overcrowding and understaffing. However, Magistrate Chizhanda said it did not need a scientist to recognise the brutality of the attack. ‘Pursuant from the medical report, it looks like the woman was attacked by a wolf,’ he stated. State Prosecutor Veiko Alexander, noting the violence of the attack, had called for 16-year jail sentence. He said the crime of rape was a violation of a person’s physical integrity and human dignity and that there was an outcry in society for harsh sentences for offences such as rape. luqman@namibian.com.na