Qacha’s Nek, Dec.13 — A deeply troubling case of sexual violence reached its verdict on Friday as the Qacha’s Nek Magistrate Court, led by Senior Magistrate Ts’eliso Bale handed sentences to three of four herdboys aged 14, 17 and 18 from Lebakeng for the rape of a 47 year-old woman.
The trio were sentenced to Juvenile Training Center (JTC) however, Senior Magistrate Bale suspended the sentence for three years on condition that each pays M7,000 in compensation to the victim by March 30, 2025.
A fifth suspect remains at large, while a fourth culprit fled after previously appearing in court and his sentence was pre-determined in absentia to 10 years jail time without an option of a fine.
However, during mitigation on November 14, 2024 the victim rejected the compensation when they first appeared in court around November when the perpetrators offered it emphasizing that accepting it would feel like condoning their behavior.
