19-year-old boy denied bail for allegedly r@ping cousin

A 19-year-old Zimbabwean boy appeared in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Monday facing a charge of raping his 10-year-old cousin.

The mother of the victim and the mother of the accused are siblings.

Pleading not guilty

During court proceedings, the teen denied committing the offence and through his legal representative asked to be released on bail because he is still a school-going pupil doing grade 11 at a private school.

He also argued that his further incarceration will affect him negatively and he will miss writing his exams and will not be able to continue with his schooling.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the teen further told the court he intends to plead not guilty to the charges.

The state prosecutor, Chris Maruma, opposed the accused’s release on bail and told the court that he was a flight risk because he was in the country illegally. Furthermore, the accused is known to the victim and can therefore influence her to withdraw charges.

“The magistrate agreed with the state that the accused was a flight risk therefore bail was denied, and the matter was postponed to 3 June for further investigations,” said Mahanjana.

Rape

Mahanjana said the 10-year-girl was allegedly raped after she visited her aunt where the teen also resided.

“During nighttime on 13 April 2024, the victim and the accused slept on the floor, while the aunt slept on the bed in the same room. At about 23h00, after the aunt switched off the lights, she noticed movement on the floor where the two were sleeping, the aunt then uncovered the two, and she saw her son naked and the victim with no underwear.

“When she asked what was happening, the 10-year-old told her that the accused raped her. The aunt then called the mother of the victim and told her what had happened and reported the matter to the police the following morning,” Mahanjana said.

The teen was arrested, after he handed himself over to the police in the presence of his mother and aunt.

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