Brutal Rapist Appeals Sentence

Lebogang Mosikare | Monday November 16, 2015 15:52

 

The convict, Shepherd Ananias, committed the offence in March this year at the Francistown Golf Course.Kemoabetswe Mareme from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) said that Ananias’ application could not be heard because they have not been furnished with transcribed case documents from the lower court, which found him guilty.

He said that the court reporter that was handling it has been transferred to Maun.Mareme was, however, optimistic that the case would move swiftly since the docket has since been sent to Maun for transcription. The matter was postponed to February 17 next year. During sentence, principal magistrate Dumisani Basupi said that the circumstances in which the accused committed the offence were very brutal.“The accused raped the complainant during the same night using different sex styles. He tied the hands and legs of the victim when committing the offence. I have no doubt that he planned what he did,” said Basupi.

The victim was raped after she went to Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) to buy food around nine o’clock at night after she ran out of gas whilst cooking at her rented place at Gerald Estates. The accused was also present at KFC. He started a conversation with the complainant and told her that he was from Tanzania and will offer her a lift back to Gerald Estates for P40.  “He parked his car inside the golf course and lowered the driver’s seat.

He then suffocated the victim with his hat before gagging her with  a mutto cloth and tying her hands frm behind. The accused further undressed the complainant and proceeded to have sex with her without her consent,” said Basupi.Basupi stated that Ananias noticed that the complainant was not responding while he was having sex with her and repeatedly beat her telling her to say the name of her boyfriend.

After finishing having sex with her, the accused tried to start his car in order to drive away, but it could not start because of mechanical problems. Ananias ordered the victim to alight from the car after which he walked a long distance with her inside the golf course. They reached a rocky place where there were some thorny trees.

Ananias then pushed the victim to the ground and she suffered some scratches and bruises in the process, said the magistrate.“He then told her that he wanted to have sex again.

It should be noted that the accused never used a condom every time he had sex with the complainant,” said Basupi, adding that the victim was only putting on her underpants and t-shirt.While walking, Basupi said, the accused and complainant reached a pond that was full of water. “He told the victim that he was now going to kill her.  He tied her legs and hands together and pushed her into the pond and left her to drown,” said Basupi.  He added that the complainant miraculously managed to untie the mutton cloth that the accused used to tie her.Said Basupi:

“The victim was rescued by a Good Samaritan who called the police. The accused was arrested where he had left his car after he was found there trying to fix its mechanical problems.

A cellphone, earrings, shoes, a pair of jeans and handbag were found inside the accused’s car.

He failed to explain why the victim’s belongings were found inside his car”.Basupi said that the accused did not dispute that he had had sex with her save to say that the complainant was a prostitute whom he had bought at Area L shopping complex that night for P50.