A 17-year-old Lesotho youth was sentenced in the High Court in Bloemfontein on Friday to 15 years imprisonment for raping a Free State doctor.
Free State Judge President HM Musi sentenced him to serve time at a youth centre where he could be rehabilitated and punished.
Delivering judgment, Judge Musi said rape was a serious crime which was not only prevalent in the Bloemfontein court jurisdiction but also in the rest of the country.
The judge said South African society could not think a doctor could be raped and it was frightening that such a crime could happen at Pelonomi hospital. Pelonomi means kind-hearted.
“This tells of a sad state of morality in this country,” he said.
The youth had pleaded guilty to the rape and aggravated robbery charges.
The doctor was on night shift duty at the hospital when she was overpowered in a ward on October 30, 2010. She was forced into a room, hit over the head with a brick and raped.
The attack led to widespread condemnation of unsafe working conditions for staff at public hospitals.
The SA Medical Association called on the health minister and provincial health MECs to ensure the safety and security of all those working in the public health sector.
“Much about security is said each time such an incident occurs. However it appears that often little is forthcoming in terms of real efforts to address security issues,” Sama said in a statement last year. -
Sapa