Guilty plea leads to rape conviction

UNEMPLOYED Karasburg area resident Petrus Jaartze may be facing a lengthy jail sentence after the High Court at Keetmanshoop this week convicted him of raping his cousin.

Jaartze (36) pleaded guilty to a charge of rape on Tuesday. With the start of his trial before Judge Kato van Niekerk, Jaartze at first tendered a not guilty plea, but after consultations with his lawyer, Boris Isaacks, he changed his plea.The rape happened on September 24 2004 at Seatco Reserve near Karasburg.In her testimony on Tuesday, the rape victim, who was 40 years old at the time of the incident, testified that Jaartze entered her corrugated zinc shack while she was asleep and asked her for a place to sleep.She denied this request, whereupon Jaartze attacked her, bit her and raped her.She told the court that Jaartze was drunk at the time.During cross-examination it surfaced that Jaartze had tried to rape the woman in March too.Defence counsel Isaacks requested a lesser sentence than the minimum sentence of 20 years that he argued was prescribed by law for a rape of this kind.He said Jaartze’s actions had been influenced by alcohol and the victim did not suffer grievous bodily harm.Deputy Prosecutor General Jackson Kuutondokwa requested a lengthy sentence, however.He asked the court to take into consideration Jaartze’s previous convictions, including another rape conviction.According to Jaartze’s criminal record handed in as evidence, he had clashed with the law at the tender age of 11 already.Kuutondokwa disagreed with Isaacks that alcohol should be seen as a mitigating factor, pointing out that Jaartze had conceded while testifying that he was not too drunk to know what he was doing.”Rape cases have skyrocketed since 1995, therefore stiffer sentences are needed to deter perpetrators,” the prosecutor said.Jaartze will be sentenced on September 6.With the start of his trial before Judge Kato van Niekerk, Jaartze at first tendered a not guilty plea, but after consultations with his lawyer, Boris Isaacks, he changed his plea.The rape happened on September 24 2004 at Seatco Reserve near Karasburg.In her testimony on Tuesday, the rape victim, who was 40 years old at the time of the incident, testified that Jaartze entered her corrugated zinc shack while she was asleep and asked her for a place to sleep.She denied this request, whereupon Jaartze attacked her, bit her and raped her.She told the court that Jaartze was drunk at the time.During cross-examination it surfaced that Jaartze had tried to rape the woman in March too.Defence counsel Isaacks requested a lesser sentence than the minimum sentence of 20 years that he argued was prescribed by law for a rape of this kind.He said Jaartze’s actions had been influenced by alcohol and the victim did not suffer grievous bodily harm.Deputy Prosecutor General Jackson Kuutondokwa requested a lengthy sentence, however.He asked the court to take into consideration Jaartze’s previous convictions, including another rape conviction.According to Jaartze’s criminal record handed in as evidence, he had clashed with the law at the tender age of 11 already.Kuutondokwa disagreed with Isaacks that alcohol should be seen as a mitigating factor, pointing out that Jaartze had conceded while testifying that he was not too drunk to know what he was doing.”Rape cases have skyrocketed since 1995, therefore stiffer sentences are needed to deter perpetrators,” the prosecutor said.Jaartze will be sentenced on September 6.