FREE STATE: Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court has yesterday sentenced four boys to 10 years imprisonment each wholly suspended for five years after they were found guilty of raping another boy. Magistrate Jan
Greyvenstein sentenced the boys aged between 13 and 15 years for raping a 10-year-old boy in November 2011.
The court heard that on the day of the incident, all the boys walked together to the soccer grounds for a soccer practice. When they were done with their soccer practice the four accused pulled the victim, who was the youngest, to a secluded place and raped him.
The four boys said in court that they were playing a ‘game’ with the victim and in this game they had to penetrate him. They thought that the victim is giving them consent because he was taking part in the game. State Prosecutor, Louis York stated that even if the victim gave consent, that consent could have not been legal because the victim was under 12 years.
Magistrate Greyvenstein stated that even though the victim impact statement showed that the victim is still traumatised as he is not doing well at school the accused would not be sentenced to the minimum sentence due to their age and the fact that the pre-sentence reports showed that they were remorseful. The magistrate therefore sentenced them to 10 years imprisonment each wholly suspended for five years.
