A 37-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 years behind bars for raping a woman three years ago, police said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Camperdown Regional Court sentenced Sandile Sithole to 12 years for the June 2013 rape, two years for assault and a further 18 months for theft.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said the sentences would run concurrently.
He said the attack happened at Cato Ridge when the 20-year-old victim and her friends were walking home and noticed the accused following them and ran away.
“Sithole caught the victim, dragged her to the side of the road, assaulted her with a stone and raped her. He robbed the victim and fled the scene. Her friends realised that the victim was not with them and they went back to look for her. That is when they met her again and she informed them about the incident,” he said.
The accused was arrested shortly afterwards.
KwaZulu Natal Acting provincial commissioner Major Bhekinkosi Langa welcomed the sentence: “This will send a strong message to the criminals that those who abuse women and children will be prosecuted by the courts.”
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