Convicted rapist, Nicholas Ninow has been sentenced to life imprisonment at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria
Johannesburg - The Democratic Alliance (DA) hailed the Gauteng North High Court's ruling to sentence convicted child rapist Nicholas Ninow to life imprisonment, saying it send "a strong message to those who commit acts of violence against women and children."
"South African women and children are under siege by predators of vile acts of sexual assault and Gender Based Violence. They often suffer in silence at the hands of a callous government," said DA national spokesperson Refiloe Nt’sekhe in a statement released on Thursday.
he DA said the party always held the view that Ninow deserved the maximum possible punishment.
The Gauteng North High Court has sentenced Ninow to life behind bars for rape and five years for drug possession.
Handing down the sentence, Judge Mokhine said he took into account the fact that Ninow is a young adult, has an infant child of his own and that there was a good chance that he could be rehabilitated. He said that Ninow had failed to prove that he was genuinely remorseful.
WATCH: Applause in court as rapist Nicholas Ninow gets life sentence
People applaud in court as Dros rapist Nicholas Ninow is sentenced to life behind bars for rape and five years for drug possession. Video: Goitsemang Tlhabye
In coming to his sentence he cited how worryingly it is that Ninow came to court claiming drugs were the cause of his actions on the day he raped the girl, but he had admitted he was still using them.
This after he indicated that he was doing drugs in prison as they were “freely available” whilst under detention at the Kgosi-Mampuru II Correctional facility, in order to escape the threats and intimidation he was facing from inmates and prison officials.
Mosopa said he firmly believed however that rehabilitation must be started with the individual first.
The issue of Ninow having genuine remorse was also called into question as Mosopa said the poem and letter he had read out in court, appeared more about regret rather than actual remorse.
Earlier in the day SAPS forensic social worker, Karen Botha said the ordeal had left the now 8-year-old little girl he raped traumatised.
Botha said in the girl's own words she still remembers Ninow's clothes, brown hair and eye colour on the day.
She said, according to the girl, she still had nightmares every night, where she would see the accused coming into her bedroom just as he did in the bathroom toilet to hurt her.
The girl also said she remembers how Ninow had told her he would kill her if she gave any details to anyone of what happened on the day in question.
Botha added that even during her interactions with the girl, her fear and anxiety were physically visible to her.
She told Botha: "I'm not afraid of snakes or crocodiles but after the incident, I am now mostly afraid of men."
"I'm afraid of men and restaurants. I'm scared of restaurant bathrooms they creep me out. I know now that you must go with someone you trust when you want to go to the bathroom."
Botha said the child had also indicated she was afraid of the "paparazzi" as she feared that should her identity be revealed it would result in her being unable to continue with normal schooling, and forced into homeschooling instead.
Pretoria News
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