A Klawer man who broke into the homes of two neighbours and raped them has been sentenced to 25 years in the mang by the Vredendal Regional Court.
Henro Oktober was convicted of housebreaking with intent to rape and two counts of rape, and the court ordered that he serve at least two thirds of this sentence before he is eligible to be considered for parole.
He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the conviction and sentence follow incidents that took place at Bottelary Farm in 2021.
In his plea and sentencing agreement, Oktober confessed that on the evening of 6 May 2021, he was with his parents, girlfriend, and the victim, and they were drinking wine.
When the victim went home, which is situated on the same farm, he waited for 30 minutes before following her. His parents and girlfriend were asleep.
Oktober found the victim asleep with her baby, but undressed and raped her.
Ntabazalila says: “He left and went to sleep at his parent’s house.”
The woman told his mother about the rape and the mom advised her to open a case.
In the second incident, the accused confessed that his parents, girlfriend, and the complainant were drinking while he was smoking dagga on the stoep on the evening of 23 October 2021. Oktober claimed the woman accused him of stealing her belongings and he denied it.
Ntabazalila says: “He alleges that she went to her house to fetch two knives and attempted to stab him. He disarmed her and she went home. He also followed this woman to her house, while his parents and girlfriend were sleeping.”
Oktober claimed he intended to return the knives, but when he got to the victim’s house, he changed his mind, choked her and dragged her to the bedroom where he raped her.
The next morning, the victim told his girlfriend that he had raped her.