A former Northern Cape police officer was found guilty on Tuesday of raping a 14-year-old mentally handicapped girl in Noupoort in January.
The 47-year-old officer was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the De Aar Regional Court.
According to police spokesperson Colonel Mashay Gamieldien, the teenage girl, who is said to have the mental capacity of a 3-year-old, was with the man on 3 January at her grandmother's house in Noupoort when he forced her into a bedroom and raped her.
"The rape was witnessed by the victim's 5-year-old cousin, who later reported it to her grandmother as the victim was threatened by the accused not to say anything as he would harm her," Gamieldien said.
He was arrested on 5 January.
The court declared him unfit to possess a firearm and his name was recorded in the National Register for Sex Offenders.
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