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- A 45-year-old man accused of raping two minor girls at a hotel in Tshwane has abandoned his request for bail.
- The bail request would have been moot, as the Department of Correctional Services has revoked his probation.
- The defendant was on probation and had been in prison after being convicted of one count of rape.
The 45-year-old man accused of raping two minor girls at a hotel in Tshwane has dropped his offer of bail, which would have been moot in any case, as his probation has already been revoked.
The man, whose identity cannot be released as he is reportedly related to one of the victims, appeared in Pretoria Magistrates Court on Monday, where he was expected to apply for bail.
However, the court heard that the defendant would not follow through with his formal request for bail.
While the reasons for the bail request were not given, News24 can confirm that the defendant, who was previously convicted and sentenced for another rape case, had his probation revoked.
Conditional freedom
News24 previously reported that the defendant began serving his seven-year sentence for rape on June 11, 2012 and was subsequently released on probation on December 19, 2017.
The defendant’s sentence expired on May 8, 2021 due to the addition of 698 days to probation.
During the time he is charged with committing a double juvenile rape, he was registered as parole in the community correctional system, the Department of Correctional Services confirmed.
The department’s spokesman, Singabakho Nxumalo, told News24 on Monday that the man’s probation had been revoked sometime in the past week, meaning he will continue to serve his sentence for the earlier rape and probation violation case. .
News24 asked the National Prosecutor’s Office (NPA) for details about the previous rape case for which he was convicted and sentenced, but apart from the sentence imposed, no other details were available.
If you were convicted of raping an adult and there were no other aggravating circumstances, then the minimum sentence would be 10 years for a first-time offender, 15 years for a second-time offender, and 20 years for a third-time offender, depending on to the legislation on minimum sentences.
Alleged crime
The defendant has been charged with two counts of rape and two of kidnapping, according to the charge sheet.
It is alleged that on November 20, the defendant picked up the victims, aged 11 and 13, from Lotus Gardens in Atteridgeville, took them to a liquor store in Pretoria West, and then drove to the Tshwane CBD where he rented a hotel. room.
There, it is alleged that he raped both victims.
READ | Man Accused of Raping 2 Minor Girls at Tshwane Hotel Convicted of Rape and Wants to Plead Guilty
The youngest of the victims managed to escape and alerted hotel security, police said at the time.
The police were alerted and he was subsequently arrested.
During his first court appearance, the defendant told the court that he did not want to waste court time and wanted to plead guilty to the charges.
Exceptional DNA analysis
On Monday, the defendant’s legal aid attorney, Riaan du Plessis, successfully defended an order against the media naming the defendant or displaying images of his face.
Du Plessis said there were concerns that the defendant’s life could be in danger if the media continues to identify him and that it could also lead to the identification of the victims.
READ ALSO | No deposit! – tempers rage in court when a person appears on probation for the rape of two girls at the Tshwane hotel
State prosecutor Tumi Pongola-Nkosi argued that the identity of the accused was public knowledge and dismissed the idea that the identity of the victim could be revealed.
The State, which was also willing to oppose the bail, asked the court for a prolonged postponement for future investigations, as well as the result of the DNA analyzes that were carried out.
The matter was postponed until February 16, 2021.
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