Johannesburg – The sentencing of an attorney accused of brutally raping his wife, more than once, continues in the Makhanda High court of East London today.
The 49-year-old attorney was found guilty of raping his wife twice, in February 2012 as well as in May 2019.
He was also found guilty of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
On Monday evidence was presented on behalf of the defence, which was rejected by Judge Judith Roberson, who found him guilty.
Her judgment stated that she rejected the man’s defence that he lacked criminal capacity, which was allegedly caused by a combination of alcohol abuse and a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Anelisa Ngcakani, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in the Eastern Cape, said in a statement that the Judge was clear in her conclusion that his actions were focused and goal-directed.
According to the statement by the NPA, the man admitted that he was a fan of violent pornographic material and said some of these acts carried out by him on his wife were done with her consent.
Details from the case, with evidence given by the 46-year-old victim, showed that the first incident was when she was pregnant and discovered messages on her husband’s phone from another woman.
“She confronted her husband and a physical fight ensued. He grabbed her by the throat and with force, pushed her against a wooden sliding door. She sustained injuries on various parts of her body.
“On 14 February 2012, the couple celebrated Valentine’s Day at a guest lodge in East London. The husband spent the latter part of the evening drinking with others, while the wife went to sleep. He returned during the course of the evening, woke her up, and demanded sex. She refused and he then instructed her to undress so that he could take photographs of her.
“A struggle ensued and the man forcefully pushed his wife down, strangled her, and hit her head against the floor. He then forced her to go outside into the bushes while she was naked. There he hit her with a branch. When they returned to their room, he performed violent sexual acts on her, which included rape.
“Moreover, he forced her to perform oral sex on him. She fell ill and reported the abuse to her doctor and mother,” reads the statement by the NPA.
Seven years later, he again beat her, demanded sex while strangling her.
The statement adds that the beatings and violent sexual acts continued through the night while he used her phone to record these crimes.
“He then transferred the videos to his phone using WhatsApp. She reported the matter to her mother the following day. The man was arrested a few days later,” said Ngcakani.
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