*The following story contains details of sexual assault and could upset sensitive readers*

The Mitchells Plain Regional Court has sentenced a 43-year-old man to an effective life imprisonment following his conviction for raping his stepdaughter for nearly two decades, starting when she was a minor.

The court convicted the Eastridge man on charges of indecent assault, sexual assault and four counts of rape.

The accused started sexually violating his step-daughter when she was 7 years old, and her ordeal continued for almost two decades.

The NPA says her ordeal was made worse as her mother decided not to believe her and even testified in her rapist’s defence during his trial.

The accused denied the rapes and claimed that he had an affair with the victim from the age of 19 years old and had consensual sexual relations with her in the same house she was raised in.

State prosecutor, Chantal Adams, led the victim, who testified that her mother would be in the other room when he would pester her for sex and would take her to the bathroom where he would rape her.

A probation officer’s report indicated that the accused seemed to have convinced his wife and the rest of the family that he had sexual relations with his stepdaughter, who called him daddy.

The rapes were so bad that medical evidence showed old scars, wounds, and tears, which are still present despite the victim’s advanced age. She is 24 years old now.

The court rejected his claims of an affair and consensual sex.

It then sentenced him to five years direct imprisonment for indecent assault, five years direct imprisonment for sexual assault, life imprisonment for rape, 10 years direct imprisonment for each of the three counts of rapes, bringing his total sentence to life imprisonment and 40 years direct imprisonment.

The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, effectively sentencing him to life imprisonment.

It declared him unfit to possess a firearm and ordered his name to be placed in the National Register for Sex Offenders, declared him unsuitable to work with children and that his name be recorded in the National Child Protection Register for persons unsuitable to work with children.

The court ordered the prosecutor to inform the victim of her right to make representations should the accused be considered for parole, parole day or correctional supervision or attend any relevant meetings of the parole board.

Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv. Nicolette Bell expressed appreciation for the work done by the prosecution, the investigating team and those who assisted the victim to be able to testify and get justice for herself.

She bemoaned the actions of the mother who took the side of the rapist and even testified in his defence.

VICTIM’S VIEWS IN HER VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT:

‘I don’t remember how life was before my trauma, but the aftereffects of what (name withheld) did to me till this day still affect my life. Because of what happened to me, I have a lot of anger issues, which really make life hard because I don’t know how to control my emotions. When I get angry or upset, I snap quickly.

‘I was diagnosed with anxiety to the point where it affected me at work. It was so bad that I would jump from job to job, the moment I felt unsafe and uneasy in a place, I would distance myself or leave. My life has become hard based on my trauma. I suffer from PTSD, which causes fear, anxiety, depression, nightmares, loss of trust and difficulty sleeping.

‘My insomnia is extremely bad, I can go for days without sleeping. My mind never shuts down. Life feels difficult most days, and to be hones,t I do fear the day (name withheld) will take revenge for me speaking my truth on what he did to me.

‘By speaking my truth, my mom chose a husband over me. She literally abandoned me, even though she knew what he did to me. She still abandoned me. She first tried to manipulate me to keep me quiet; she honestly didn’t care what I went through at all.’