A 37-year-old suspect is expected to appear in court on Thursday, 4 February 2021 in Bethlehem for rape following his arrest on 2 February 2021, by members of Bethlehem Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit (FCS).
According to allegations the victim who is four-years-old was allegedly acting strangely, her mother asked her what happened, she remained quiet and later confined to her aunt that the suspect had sexual intercourse with her.
Police were called and the suspect was arrested. He will appear in Bethlehem court on a charge of rape.
Free State Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane has welcomed the arrest and appealed to the investigating officer in this matter to leave no stone unturned so that both victim and her mother gets justice.
“Rape is a serious offence and even more serious where the victim is a child, raping a child is as good as killing that child’s dreams and taking her pride and future away. Under no circumstances we ever going to tolerate any form of Gender Based Violence including rape, says Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane.”
