BY KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

The Northern Cape SAPS said they welcome the rape sentencing that was handed down to two Douglas men in the Kimberley Regional Court yesterday.  

Petrus van Nel (31) and Vincent Long(31) were both sentenced to double life sentences for the rape of two females. The incident took place on January 22 in 2012  in a veld near the Douglas/Campbell Road .

Northern Cape police spokesperson lieutenant Sergio Kock said: “The two female victims and a male friend were on their way home during the early hours of the morning when they were accosted by the accused. The accused threatened them with knives and chased away the male friend who was accompanying the females.”

Sock said the accused took turns in raping the females in the veld and thereafter  took them to the house in the vicinity.

“At the house the men again raped the females separately at knife point. The victims who were aged 18 and 22 years old at the time of the incident, opened rape charges against the unknown men. Police arrested the men hours later in the Douglas vicinity.”

The accused were found guilty on October 20 2015 and remained in custody until their sentencing.  

Petrus Van Nel was charged with 4 counts of rape and he was handed down two life sentences and an extra twenty years imprisonment. Vincent Long was charged with three counts of rape and also handed down two life sentences and 10 extra years for the offences he committed.

All the sentences will run concurrently.

The Kimberley SAPS Cluster Commander, Major General Jean Abrahams lauds Detective Warrant Officer Duncan Vertue from the Kimberley Cluster Family Violence Child Protection and Family Offences unit for a brilliant job done.  

“It is with pride that we see our members working extremely hard to remove criminals from our street. The convictions result in justice for the victims concerned and the community feel safer when the perpetrators are incarcerated. It also sends out a stern message and when you do crime, you will do the time.”
-TDN
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