A Cape Town teacher has been sentenced to five years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a pupil.
Ayanda Ntuthu sexually assaulted a school boy at Thandokhulu High School in Mowbray in 2017. Despite this, he continued to teach at the school for most of the past five years.
On 18 March, he was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and he was sentenced to five years in prison for each count, and these will run concurrently as per Daily Maverick.
Delivering the sentence yesterday, Magistrate Nontuthuzelo Ralarala said the court needed to look into Ntuthu’s personal circumstances, the seriousness of the offence and the interests of society. “The crimes are serious and the nature and prevalence cannot be overlooked. The aggravating factor is that you did not only sexually assault a child, but you did it in your capacity as an educator in a school environment.
“You abused your position as a teacher. You took away his innocence – spoiling his whole high school experience because he was in his first year when the incident happened.”
The defence told the court that the convicted sexual offender has a small child that he supports together with its mom and his unemployed sister as per GroundUp.
The court heard that a report by a probation officer recommended that his sentence be suspended “because he does not pose a threat to society and is not affiliated with any gang.”
Ralarala stated that the court cannot agree with that. “Although a suspended sentence and rehabilitation are recommended, the court finds that it will not fit the nature of the crime. Imprisonment will fit the crime, the interests of society, and make you (Ntuthu) a better citizen and better role model for your child.”
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Picture: Cape Town {etc} gallery
