BONNIEVALE: Ten years after a 22-year-old woman was raped by a 37-year-old man from Bonnievale she finally has got justice. He was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment in the Worcester Regional Court.
The incident occurred on 28 February 2016 in the suburb of Mountain View, Bonnievale.
On the day the complainant was visiting her brother and was walking alone there when her attacker, Ashley Lukas, spotted her, came up to her, hit her in the face, force-marched her to a bushy area, threw her down onto the ground, ripped her clothes off and raped her at knife-point.
Afterwards he forced her to accompany him to his residence where the rapes and assaults continued. Only when Lukas fell asleep the complainant managed to escape and return to her brother’s house.
Given the condition the complainant was in a family member contacted the police. Despite being in quite an emotional state the complainant managed to point out the place in the bushes where Lukas raped her as well as Lukas’ residence. She also gave a description of his clothing.
Lukas was arrested two days later after evading the police.
In another court case Siyabonga Sindelo (34) from Zwelethemba was sentenced to 10 years on charges relating to an attempt to commit a sexual offence and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. His sentence came after entering into a plea and sentence agreement with the state.
Sindelo admitted he encountered the complainant – who at the time of the offence was known to him – at her house in Zwelethemba.
He further admitted he had propositioned the complainant to have sexual intercourse, but she refused.
Sindelo then escalated his attempts by removing his trousers, pushing the complainant down onto her bed, leaned over her and started pulling her pants down.
A struggle ensued, and when she resisted he pulled a knife out and stabbed the complainant once in her shoulder causing her to let go of his hair, which she pulled in an attempt to get him to loosen his grip on her and let her go.
When she tried to crawl away he stabbed her a second time in the back. He said he redressed the complainant and carried her to the police station for medical assistance when he saw she was bleeding.
After sentencing the state requested the court to declare Sindelo unfit to possess a firearm and for his name to be entered into the National Register of Sexual Offenders as well as in the Child Protection Register.
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