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Maun Magistrate court has sentenced a 30-year-old Maun of Disana ward to five years’ imprisonment for attempting to rape a 13-year-old Maitlamo Junior student who was then aged 9.
According to the details provided during trial before court, the accused person is alleged to have sometime in the evening around April 2020 at Disana attempted to rape the complainant who was rescued by a passer-by.
When delivering the verdict this week Maun Magistrate Keneilwe Kgoadi told court that they took into consideration the convict’s mitigation plea that he was a first time offender and a law abiding citizen and that he did not inflict physical harm or violence to the victim.
She indicated that they are aware that such offences are a concern to the society and of a rampant nature adding that the court will however not sentence the convict out of anger even though intending to send a stern message to the convict and the community.
Kgoadi noted that from the facts of the offence the convict did not have any extenuating circumstances to allow for a suspended sentence, she indicated that during trial and mitigation the accused person did not show any remorse for what he put the victim through.
“The convict rather worried about himself and his family to an extent that he lied to court after his conviction to say his siblings who reside far and lived independent lives were unaware of his conviction yet his brother who testified on his defence during trial was in the court room,” Kgoadi said.
Kgoadi noted that the complainant’s impact statement is evident that she will live with the effects of the perpetrator’s selfish actions as she develops into a young lady.
She explained that the convict was almost 26 years at the time he committed the offence while the complainant was only a 9-year-old primary school girl, hence the complainant was a mere child.
“I therefore sentence the accused person to five years in prison to be backdated to the 2nd March 2023 when his bail was revoked,” Kgoadi delivered the sentence.
