KEY POINTS
- A teenager who became a rape victim took her own life while the investigation is ongoing.
- She described the details of the event before she committed suicide
- Her death has led to freedom for her alledged rapists.
The 14-year-old survivor of rape took her own life through suicide after enduring prolonged interrogation by the defense lawyers who represent her three rapists because of which they gained freedom through a legal technicality.
The court determined that the young men were entitled to their freedom after judging them both for life imprisonment as well as the third man who received a 15-year sentence when he was a minor.
Rape victim’s suicide led to freedom
Three accused persons gained their freedom through an appeal court at Bloemfontein High Court who concluded they possessed constitutional rights for complete examination of their alleged victim. Their trial became unfair because the main witness passed away prior to concluding the cross-examination process.
A teenage complainant gave testimony at trial while the proceedings experienced delayed postponements due to multiple causes between September 2018 until late 2020. The complainant did not begin her evidence-in-chief until two years after the process started. Two of the accused sent their legal representative to question her through a process known as cross-examination.
Multiple days extended the period during which this testimony did not reach completion. The attorneys from all three accused parties completed the interrogation, then delayed the matter for additional months until the third defendant’s defense counsel examined the victim. On that particular day, the complainant displayed discomfort during cross-examination
The complainant took her microphone to the middle person then walked away from her evidence-giving area.
The court did not receive clarification about the behavior but the prosecutor together with defense attorneys provided their assumptions regarding it. Additional testimony had to be put off because more cross-examination was needed.
Before the process of giving evidence through an intermediary could take effect the complainant passed away by suicide, maybe the delays led to the rape victim’s suicide.
Details narrated by the complainant
According to the complainant she locked the gate of the premises before the accused forced her to accompany him to his cousin’s home.
The accused family members along with their co-accused arrived at the house despite being familiar to her as they all attended the same school. She reported that the attackers conducted a joint rape against her.
She fled the assailants and returned home yet she concealed the incident from her grandmother out of fear that her aggressors would harm her. The victim eventually disclosed her experience to her grandmother after those events transpired.
