Police have praised the role of educators and social workers in protecting vulnerable children following the sentencing of a 42-year-old man for the sexual assault of his 13-year-old stepdaughter. The case, which also led to the arrest of the victim’s biological mother for failing to report the abuse, was heard in the Free State court.
The matter came to light after the victim, a learner at Jim Fouché Primary School, confided in a school social worker about a series of disturbing incidents at home. The teenager reported that her stepfather would lie next to her inappropriately dressed and perform lewd acts against her.
An investigation by the Parkweg Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit uncovered a pattern of grooming and abuse. According to court documents, the accused exposed the victim to pornographic material featuring naked men on his mobile device and subjected her to indecent touching.
The investigation revealed that the victim’s biological mother was aware of the abuse but failed to report it to authorities, citing her pregnancy and an inability to handle the situation at the time.
Both the stepfather and the mother were arrested on 7 December 2024. The mother was charged under Section 54 of the Sexual Offences Act, which makes it a criminal offense for any adult who knows of a sexual offense against a child to fail to report it to the police or a social worker.
The case was investigated by Sergeant Manana Thoba and Constable Asisipho Mdukulwana, in collaboration with Advocate Cwele from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The 42-year-old stepfather recently appeared in court and pleaded guilty to sexual assault. He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years, on condition that he is not convicted of a similar offense during the suspension period. The charges against the biological mother were subsequently withdrawn.
