Nine men jailed for string of sex crimes

Seven men have been sentenced to an accumulative 77 years behind bars and another two to life imprisonment in a string of separate convictions over the last 34 days.

All the probes were spearheaded by Port Elizabeth’s specialist family violence, child protection and sexual offences investigations unit.

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said since November 1, nine men had been sent to jail for a string of rapes and sexual assaults, mostly against minors.

“The latest is a conviction on December 4 where a 40-year-old relative of a 14-year-old girl was arrested for raping her three times in 2017,” she said.

“He was given a life sentence and will spend the rest of his days in prison.”

As the man is related to the teenager, he cannot be named in the interest of protecting her identity. 

Naidu said several similar cases had also been finalised.

“All nine cases saw the attackers sentenced to jail time. The jail time varies between five years and life imprisonment. Two of the men were given life sentences.

“These attacks happened  in the Bethelsdorp, Walmer, Gelvandale and Kabega Park policing areas,” she said.

The ages of the victims varied between 14 and 40 while their attackers were between 25 and 55.