HIV positive man sentenced to 12 years in jail

Lebogang Mosikare
Correspondent | Saturday May 25, 2013 00:00

The rapist, Brown Badiredi, committed the offence at Nata village on September 30, 2011.In his ruling, magistrate Kgololesego Segabo said the accused deserves a stiffer punishment to deter others from committing similar offences in future because he is not a first offender.He once served a 10-year jail term for a similar offence.'Rape is a violent crime and it violates women's rights. As such the courts are called upon to punish offenders severely,' said Segabo.

Prosecutor Mothosera Busang told the court that the state failed to determine if the accused was HIV positive or not when he committed the offence.He pleaded with the court to impose the minimum statutory sentence of 10-years in jail because they were no exceptional circumstances that may have led the accused to commit the offence.During trial, the rapist denied the charge and told the court that the complainant was fabricating a case against him.However the magistrate ruled that the state has proven its case against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.He found all witnesses that testified against the accused to be credible and consistent in their testimony before court.