A Western Cape police officer has been convicted of raping a teenager and has been sentenced to serve an effective 20 years in prison.
Also read: SA producer responds urgently to claims of toxic cough syrup
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), the watchdog for law enforcement, has verified the sentencing and conviction of Captain Andre Bekkies, affiliated with the SAPS’s Protection and Security Services.
Phaladi Shuping, the spokesperson for IPID, disclosed that Captain Andre Bekkies was convicted of rape and three counts of sexual assault in the Parow Magistrates’ Court this week.
Shuping elaborated that the case unfolded after allegations emerged accusing Bekkies of assaulting a 14-year-old girl on 13 December 2019, around 8pm, prompting a report to IPID regarding rape and sexual assault.
‘Ipid investigated the matter and handed the docket to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Western Cape after their investigation.
‘The DPP decided that Captain Bekkies should be charged for rape and three counts of sexual assault.’
Bekkies received a 20-year prison term for the rape charge, along with three years for the first count of sexual assault, and five years each for the other two counts of sexual assault, as ordered by the magistrate.
‘He will effectively serve 20 years imprisonment after the court ordered the sentences to run concurrently,’ concluded Shuping.
In a separate incident occurring last month, a police officer in the Western Cape is facing charges of rape.
According to IPID, the officer is accused of sexually assaulting a woman while she was in the holding cells at the police station. The woman had been detained for assault.
Also read:
Pen gun panic: CT police alerted to DIY weapon revealed in viral video
Picture: Katrin Bolovtsova / Pexels