Pharmacist gets eight years for raping nurse

Correspondent | Thursday September 1, 2016 16:30

 

Molepha was on Wednesday sentenced to eight years in jail for raping his host on November 24, 2012 at Rakops. Evidence led before court shows that Molepha was invited by the complainant to come and share dinner with her at her place of residence.

Molepha duly honoured the invitation and upon arrival, entertained himself with alcoholic beverages. Later he forced himself on the victim and had sex without her consent. The complainant reported the matter to the police who found the accused stark naked in the complainant’s bed whereupon he was arrested and later warned and cautioned of the offence.

When mitigating on Wednesday, Molepha’s attorney Leatile Sengwatse pleaded with the court to exercise mercy and not pass a sentence that may “break” the accused. “It is our humble submission that the court should exercise mercy. The accused is a young person who can still be rehabilitated notwithstanding the fact that he committed a serious offence,” said Sengwatse.

In response to the submissions said by the defence counsel, prosecutor Tumelo Mandevu said she had nothing to say save to leave the court to sentence the accused as it finds fit.

Passing sentence, Justice Bashi Moesi of the Francistown High Court said the accused was a first offender who had no previous brushes with the law, a factor that worked in his favour.

Moesi said he also took into account that Molepha was heavily intoxicated when he committed the offence, a state which may have influenced his decisions.

His case was committed to the High Court for sentencing because the magistrate who presided over it had no powers to sentence him beyond the minimum prescribed sentence as required by law.