Incestuous father claims stress, requests counselling
Lebogang Mosikare | Wednesday September 15, 2021 09:10
The 41-year-old man of Block 4 location, who cannot be named for legal and ethical reasons, had sexual intercourse with his 11-year-old daughter between June 2020 and July 2021 at the residence of his daughter’s mother at Block 2.
The man had already pleaded guilty to the offence when he was brought before Chief Magistrate Mareledi Dipate for arraignment.
While it is usual for some accused persons charged with offences similar to the one the accused is facing to change pleas looking at the gravity of the sentence, the accused still admitted to having committed the offence on Tuesday.
This usually happens after the accused has interacted with other accused persons in jail who tell them that admitting the offence will lead to facts reading and subsequently mitigation and sentence.
It is common cause that some of the accused persons do not readily plead guilty to offences even though they have committed them in order to delay trials and buy time for short-lived freedom outside court despite the stakes awaiting them.
When the matter was called for status update, Lano Kgalemang from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions told the court that the facts the prosecution had prepared were still insufficient to be read to the accused.
“We are still waiting for a report from the police forensic laboratory. We, therefore, pray that the facts of this offence be read to the accused after two months by which time we hope the report will be ready,” Kgalemang said.
Asked by Dipate if he had anything to say, the accused pleaded with the court to vary his bail conditions promising to abide by all new conditions that the court will impose.
The accused said: “I have failed to raise the P3,000 that the court said I should pay as one of my bail conditions. I promise the court that I will report myself at the police station as one of my bail conditions".
The accused was initially granted bail on condition that he pays P3,000, provides two sureties who shall each bind themselves with the same amount, not interfere with state witnesses, not commit any criminal offence whilst on bail and attends court as and when required to do so.
Still praying with the court to grant him bail, the accused said that he is an anti-gender-based violence (GBV) advocate.
He also emotionally told the court that the effects of having sexual intercourse with his daughter were overwhelming him ever since he committed the offence.
“I admit that I knowingly had sexual intercourse with my child, but I am asking to be given an opportunity to go and take care of my children. I am also asking the court to make an order that I should go and consult professionals for psycho-social counselling. I don’t think that I could just change overnight and commit the offence that I committed,” he pleaded.
Chief Magistrate Dipate acceded to the application to vary one of the bail conditions of the accused.
He said: “The accused’s bail conditions are varied. He shall pay P1,000, provide two sureties who shall each bind themselves with the same amount. The accused shall come to court for facts residing on November 8. He shall in the interim be remanded in custody until he fulfils all his bail conditions".