A 30-year-old North West man was handed a life sentence on Thursday by the Itsoseng regional court for raping an 11-year-old girl on two separate occasions.
The court also declared Adam Kope unfit to possess a firearm and requested that his name be included in the national register for sexual offenders.
According to NPA’s regional spokesperson Henry Mamothame, Kope’s conviction comes after the criminal act committed on February 20, 2021 at Verdwaal, near Itsoseng.
“The child was playing in a neighbour’s yard where the accused lived. The accused then sent the girl to his shack to get him his cigarettes. He subsequently followed and raped her.
“After the ordeal, he gave the child a cellphone and instructed her not to tell anyone about the incident,” Mamothame said.
The evidence presented in court further revealed that the day after the incident, the child was again playing with a friend in the same yard, and after the friend had left, Kope sent the child to his shack, followed her and raped her again.
“Later at home, the child’s grandmother noticed a strange behaviour by the child as she could not sit properly. Upon enquiry, the child revealed both incidents and a medical examination confirmed that she had been violated,” Mamothame said.
Kobe was arrested on February 22, 2021 immediately after the incident was reported to the police by the minor’s grandmother.
The court denied him bail and he pleaded not guilty to the offences.
The state prosecutor, Itumeleng Boikanyo, read the Victim Impact Statement, which cited the mental, emotional and physical trauma caused by the incident to the victim.
He urged the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment, as there were no compelling circumstances to consider.
Magistrate Ndade Maphango agreed with the state and remarked on the responsibility of the to give harsher sentences for serious offences such as rape.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West Rachel Makhari-Sekhaolelo lauded Boikanyo and Constable Tshekiso Jantjie Tau for their collaboration in bringing the perpetrator to book.
Dr Makhari-Sekhaolelo called for a strong advocacy for the protection of children and the most vulnerable members of society.
