Johannesburg – A man was jailed for 12 years by the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court for raping a 10-year-old girl, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Monday.

The 25-year-old man was sentenced on Thursday, said police spokesperson Thulani Zwane.

He raped the girl in September 2006 while she was home alone in the Imbali area.

KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Mmamonnye Ngobeni said the sentence would send a strong message to criminals that the police would not tolerate criminal activity.

– SAPA