Qacha’s Nek, Jan. 22 – Senior Magistrate Ts’eliso Bale of Qacha’sN ek Magistrate court has sentenced Lerotholi Maluke (38) of Ha Rats’oleli to 15 years inprisonment for repeatedly raping his 11-year-old niece, with the most recent assault occurring in November 2024.
Maluke was convicted under Section 3 of the Sexual Offenses Act No. 3 of 2003 read with 32 (a) (v).
He pleaded guilty to the charges, with Crown Counsel Mants’ebo Mofoka accepting his plea and outlining the facts. While recognizing Maluke as a first-time offender, Mofoka called for a harsh sentence.
“I don’t have enough evidence to implicate his mother in this case,” she said.
Police Constable Rorisang Mohale, speaking to the Agency, revealed that the crime came to light when the victim, while visiting her maternal grandmother during school holidays, refused to return to her paternal grandmother’s home, where she had been living. . .
