Cape Town – A 29-year-old man from the Northern Cape was sentenced at the Kimberley Regional Court to three life terms after raping three school pupils.
Jason Witbooi was no stranger to the courts after it was heard how he had five previous convictions.
According to the provincial spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mojalefa Senokoatsane, Witbooi was convicted on three counts of rape in 2016 and two counts of housebreaking in 2018.
Evidence led before the court revealed that on the day the school pupils were attacked, they were on their way home from school when Witbooi approached them and offered to show them a shortcut through the veld.
As they followed him, he raped all three of the minors.
The victims reported their ordeal to police.
Police conducted a vigorous investigation which led Witbooi to be linked to the crimes through DNA.
According to Senokoatsane, the overwhelming evidence led Witbooi to plead guilty.
During the aggravation of sentence, State Prosecutor Nicola van Niekerk argued that the court should not deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life as Witbooi had shown that he was a danger to society.
She submitted that it would be in the best interest of the community if he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The court agreed to this and he was sentenced to a life imprisonment sentence on each count; the sentences were ordered to run concurrently.
“The conviction and sentence confirm the commitment of the National Prosecuting Authority in the fight against gender-based violence and to ensure that the citizenry particularly, can continue to live in freedom and security within their communities,” Senokoatsane said.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL