BLOEMFONTEIN – A 17-year-old boy is expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court at a date yet to be confirmed. He is facing a charge of statutory rape. Sgt Mahlomola Kareli, spokesperson for the Free State police, said the suspect’s arrest was executed through a warrant of arrest on Friday 26 June.
“The Free State Provincial Tracking Team successfully apprehended a 17-year-old male suspect in connection with a statutory rape case. This followed an intensive investigation into an incident that allegedly occurred between 2022 and 2023 in Turflaagte, Bloemfontein. The victim was a six-year-old girl at the time of the offence,” said Kareli. He said the suspect initially fled upon hearing that a case had been opened at the Kopanong Police Station.
Kareli said, according to information received, that the suspect had been staying with the parents of the victim. He added that the unsuspecting parents would leave the young girl in the care of the suspect whenever they left the residence.
“The harrowing ordeal was uncovered when the child fell ill, and a medical examination revealed that she had been sexually violated,” he said. Kareli said the suspect is currently held at a secure youth care facility. Additionally, the teenager’s identity has been withheld in compliance with the Child Justice Act.
