13 Aug 2020

Chief Magistrate Thebeetsile Molalu has sentenced a 25-year-old man of Boseja ward in Maun, Kempho Mothoosele, to 10 years imprisonment for rape.

The man, who was 23-years-old at the time of the offence, was accusing of raping a 19-year-old woman at a bush near the school that she attended. The incident happened in Maun on September 29, 2018.

In his sentence on Tuesday, Chief Magistrate Molalu said he had considered that the accused was a first offender and that he pleaded guilty, something that showed remorse.

He said the court also took into account the fact that the accused was young when he committed the offence.

Nonetheless, Chief Magistrate Molalu said the court also considered that the victim was young and a student who might have been devastated by the ordeal.

He noted that rape was a serious offence, which attracted a minimum sentence of 10 years.

The evidence given before court, he said, revealed that the accused failed to use a condom, therefore he put the victim at risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases or  pregnancy.

He also said such acts of sexual violence undermined efforts towards ending HIV/AIDS. ends