Police in the Northern Cape welcomes the sentencing that was handed down to an Upington serial rapist recently in the Upington High Court. The accused, Andre Van Wyk (19) was sentenced to four life sentences, four 15-years imprisonments and two 5 year sentences for various counts of rape, robbery and assault he committed in the Upington area during 2014 and 2015. The four life sentences will run concurrently with the robbery and assault sentences.
The accused caused an uproar in the Upington community during the mentioned period when he raped, robbed and assaulted three females within a period of two years. The suspect would follow his victims with a bicycle, threaten them with a knife, rape and rob some of their belongings after assaulting them. The youngest victim is sixteen-years-old and the other two are both aged eighteen. Police linked him with the modus operandi and his DNA and arrested him in Rosedale, Upington. The accused eventually pleaded guilty and was classified as a serial rapist by the court.
The ZF Mcawu Cluster Commander, Major General Kolie Mathys lauded Detective Warrant Officer Marius Struwig from the Upington Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for excellent detective work. “The SAPS member’s hard work, sleepless nights and diligence ensured the arrest of the “Bicycle Rapist” as he was dubbed’’, said Mathys. With the assistance of the Upington community, Struwig brought a water tight case to the court of law and ensured that no impunity was granted to the accused of these heinous crimes.
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