Miss-Delectable
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The Herald Online **News**
A MAN who raped a 10-year-old girl who has been deaf and mute since birth was described in a probation officer‘s report as a “threat to society” in the Grahamstown High Court yesterday.
Appearing before Judge Bonisile Sandi for a pre-sentencing hearing was Vuyani Qika, 19, of Dordrecht, who was convicted in March of raping the girl on a farm on October 7, 2006. The girl lived with her grandmother and they were his neighbours.
Grahamstown-based probation officer Nokuthembela Mafudyka told the court when she interviewed Qika to prepare the report, he told her he had become sexually aroused and committed the offence on “the spur of the moment”.
During the trial, the court heard that Qika was chopping wood for the girl‘s grandmother when the rape was committed. Mafudyka told the court that he had acted on impulses with no regard to the consequences of his actions. “This is not normal behaviour and though, because he is young, there are prospects of rehabilitation, in my professional opinion he is a threat to society.”
Fort England Hospital psychologist Michelle Coutinho said the long-term prognosis for the little girl was very poor.
She said because there was very limited means of communication, traditional psychological therapies to work through traumatic physical and emotional experiences were of limited use in this case.
“Since the incident the girl has become frequently incontinent both day and night, she is moody and depressed, suffers a loss of appetite and weight and she is afraid of males. Since the assault she has regressed to being a much younger child, and presents with the symptoms of an extreme fear reaction.”
Sentencing is expected on Tuesday.
A MAN who raped a 10-year-old girl who has been deaf and mute since birth was described in a probation officer‘s report as a “threat to society” in the Grahamstown High Court yesterday.
Appearing before Judge Bonisile Sandi for a pre-sentencing hearing was Vuyani Qika, 19, of Dordrecht, who was convicted in March of raping the girl on a farm on October 7, 2006. The girl lived with her grandmother and they were his neighbours.
Grahamstown-based probation officer Nokuthembela Mafudyka told the court when she interviewed Qika to prepare the report, he told her he had become sexually aroused and committed the offence on “the spur of the moment”.
During the trial, the court heard that Qika was chopping wood for the girl‘s grandmother when the rape was committed. Mafudyka told the court that he had acted on impulses with no regard to the consequences of his actions. “This is not normal behaviour and though, because he is young, there are prospects of rehabilitation, in my professional opinion he is a threat to society.”
Fort England Hospital psychologist Michelle Coutinho said the long-term prognosis for the little girl was very poor.
She said because there was very limited means of communication, traditional psychological therapies to work through traumatic physical and emotional experiences were of limited use in this case.
“Since the incident the girl has become frequently incontinent both day and night, she is moody and depressed, suffers a loss of appetite and weight and she is afraid of males. Since the assault she has regressed to being a much younger child, and presents with the symptoms of an extreme fear reaction.”
Sentencing is expected on Tuesday.
