JANSENVILLE NEWS - A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to three years in prison for the statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl.

Ronwin Swema was convicted and sentenced in the Jansenville Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday 19 January.

The girl, who was living with her grandmother in Mauritius location in Jansenville, had been in a relationship with Ronwin Swema since June 2018 until November 2019. The sex was consensual, but as the girl was only 14 at the time and thus a minor, it is a crime and classified as statutory rape.

A case of rape was registered at the Jansenville Police Station on Tuesday 12 November 2019 after the grandmother had taken the girl to the Jansenville Clinic where it was confirmed that the child was pregnant. 

The case was handed to the Graaff-Reinet Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS).

Swema was arrested on Friday 15 November 2019 and had been in custody since his arrest.

Captain Theo Van Zyl, commander of the Graaff-Reinet FCS, commended Detective Constable Fabian Voetpad who ensured that Swema remained in custody throughout the trial. 

“His hard work and dedication during the investigation and when opposing bail have not gone unnoticed. The sentence should act as a deterrent to potential perpetrators of gender based violence against women and children.”

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