A 38-year-old KwaZulu-Natal man has been sentenced to life behind bars after he raped a teenager in his shop in Greytown in January.
The girl was 14 years old at the time, and according to the National Prosecuting Authority, she had gone into town to shop with her parents when she was approached by the man.
"He took her to the toilet at the back of the shop and raped her. The shop owner saw him and the crying child leave the toilet and enquired what had happened. The police were then called, and the man was arrested," the NPA's Natasha Ramkisoon-Kara said.
She said the court heard how the girl had been scarred both emotionally and physically by the man.
Regional Court Prosecutor Premie Naidoo submitted a victim impact statement that detailed how the girl had become fearful and does not go anywhere on her own.
Naidoo said the girl is now severely depressed.
The accused was sentenced to life imprisonment, and the court ruled that he was unfit to possess a firearm and unsuitable to work with children.
"Furthermore, the court also ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders," Ramkisson-Kara said.
He is the third accused to be sentenced for rape in KZN since the beginning of the month.
Last month, five men were sentenced for rape in separate cases.
IOL