NOORDWESTER – MOROKWENG - A 29-year-old, Kwena Sombrero, was sentenced to three life imprisonment by the Ganyesa Regional Court on Thursday, 22 February, in connection with a charge of rape, possession of unlicensed firearm, assault GBV and compelled rape.
Evidence before court indicated that on Wednesday, 28 January 2015, at about 18:50, three victims aged between 20 and 24 were walking to the nearby village, Tseoge in Morokweng to buy electricity. When they left the shop they were approached by three young men who proposed love to them and the three young ladies rejected their proposal.
On their way back home, the accused and his friends followed the girls, threatened them with a firearm and started assaulting one of the victims by clapping and kicking her. Sombrero, who was in possession of the firearm, fired one shot in the air and instructed the victims to go into the nearby bushes. In the bushes Sombrero instructed the ladies to strip naked and lie on the ground where he ultimately raped all three. Thereafter, Sombrero instructed his two friends to have sexual intercourse with the three victims. The one friend refused, but he hit him with a firearm on his forehead. The victims were repeatedly raped and Sombrero’s friends begged him to leave the victims alone, but he became more aggressive. One of the friends managed to escape and the accused then released the victims.
The victims reported the ordeal to their parents, who called the police and a search for the accused and his friends ensued. They were all traced and arrested the following day, Friday, 29 January 2015, and charged.
The cases against Sombrero’s two friends were withdrawn, and one friend turned into state witnesses. Sombrero was in custody since his arrests. Furthermore, he was declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act, 2000 (Act No. 60 of 2000).
The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, congratulated Detectives at Morokweng Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit for leaving no stone unturned during the investigations, leading to the successful outcome. He also praised and thanked the Prosecutor for the cooperation in obtaining this sentence.
