A Cape Town woman will spend 15 years in prison for the kidnapping and sex trafficking of a 14-year-old girl.
Hawks Western Cape spokesperson Zinzi Hani said Verona Kennedy, 27, was on Friday sentenced by the Cape Town Regional Court for human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Hani said the court heard evidence from the victim, who was kidnapped in 2013 when she was 14.
The victim, who lived in George at the time, was recruited by Kennedy and traded to a foreign national, Christopher Chichoke.
Chichoke is said to have given drugs to the victim and forced her to into sex work.
Two years into the kidnapping, the victim managed to escape. She ran to the nearest police station and opened a criminal case against the pair.
Kennedy and Chichoke were arrested in 2015, and released on bail of R5 000 and R1 000 respectively.
Chichoke then allegedly fled the country and a search is still ongoing.
Hani said: "While on bail, Kennedy stopped attending the court case and a warrant for her arrest was issued. She was rearrested in 2018 and she remained in custody throughout the trial."