THE Grahamstown High Court has sentenced two men to a double life jail sentence each for the gang rape and murder of a Cradock grandmother.
In August last year, Vangeli Dakuse, 25 and Xolile Rasmeni, 38, grabbed an inebriated Sophie Abrahams, 62, as she walked home late one night to her Lingelihle township home in Cradock.
They forced her into Dakuse’s home where they both raped her. They then slit her throat and dragged her, face down, to a nearby youth centre where they left her body.
Judge Elna Revelas last week said rape was globally regarded as a monstrous crime and gang rape was exceptionally heinous.
The elderly and vulnerable woman had been alone and inebriated after a night out when attacked.
“If a woman is intoxicated she still has the right to be treated with respect. It is not an invitation to be raped.”
Revelas said she could not understand how two young men could choose to rape an elderly woman.
“She was raped for sport or fun or for their evening’s entertainment. Afterwards her throat was slit like an animal.
“They dragged her face down in the dirt and her body was unceremoniously dumped in front of a community building for all to see.”
She said her death had been horrific and undignified, and Rasmeni and Dakuse’s crimes had been exceptionally brutal and heinous.
The sentences therefore had to be suitably retributive.
Neither accused had shown any remorse. In fact Dakuse had smiled while relating how Abrahams had died. Revelas described both men as habitual criminals.
It emerged after their convictions Rasmeni had been released from prison on early parole for housebreaking four days before he raped and murdered Abrahams.
Both Rasmeni and Dakuse had what seasoned prosecutor advocate Buks Coetzee described as among the longest criminal records he had ever seen.
Dakuse’s kicked off his criminal career in 2004, when he was 16.
From then he accumulated numerous convictions for crimes ranging from theft and robbery to assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
Between 2007 and 2012 he clocked us several convictions for family violence – all committed against his own mother in violation of a protection order.
Rasmeni began his criminal career in 1993 aged 18.
Over the next decade and a half he was convicted of crimes ranging from theft, housebreaking, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, malicious damage to property, stocktheft and robbery.
Revelas said their crimes had become increasingly violent.
“They have no respect for the property and bodily integrity of other people or the law.
“Life imprisonment is an appropriate sentence as the two accused must be permanently removed from society.”
Dakuse was represented by defence attorney Templeton Solani and Rasmeni by advocate Gustav Joubert.
2 ECape rapists get double life terms
In August last year, Vangeli Dakuse, 25 and Xolile Rasmeni, 38, grabbed an inebriated Sophie Abrahams, 62, as she walked home late one night to her Lingelihle township home in Cradock.
They forced her into Dakuse’s home where they both raped her. They then slit her throat and dragged her, face down, to a nearby youth centre where they left her body.
Judge Elna Revelas last week said rape was globally regarded as a monstrous crime and gang rape was exceptionally heinous.
The elderly and vulnerable woman had been alone and inebriated after a night out when attacked.
“If a woman is intoxicated she still has the right to be treated with respect. It is not an invitation to be raped.”
Revelas said she could not understand how two young men could choose to rape an elderly woman.
“She was raped for sport or fun or for their evening’s entertainment. Afterwards her throat was slit like an animal.
“They dragged her face down in the dirt and her body was unceremoniously dumped in front of a community building for all to see.”
She said her death had been horrific and undignified, and Rasmeni and Dakuse’s crimes had been exceptionally brutal and heinous.
The sentences therefore had to be suitably retributive.
Neither accused had shown any remorse. In fact Dakuse had smiled while relating how Abrahams had died. Revelas described both men as habitual criminals.
It emerged after their convictions Rasmeni had been released from prison on early parole for housebreaking four days before he raped and murdered Abrahams.
Both Rasmeni and Dakuse had what seasoned prosecutor advocate Buks Coetzee described as among the longest criminal records he had ever seen.
Dakuse’s kicked off his criminal career in 2004, when he was 16.
From then he accumulated numerous convictions for crimes ranging from theft and robbery to assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
Between 2007 and 2012 he clocked us several convictions for family violence – all committed against his own mother in violation of a protection order.
Rasmeni began his criminal career in 1993 aged 18.
Over the next decade and a half he was convicted of crimes ranging from theft, housebreaking, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, malicious damage to property, stocktheft and robbery.
Revelas said their crimes had become increasingly violent.
“They have no respect for the property and bodily integrity of other people or the law.
“Life imprisonment is an appropriate sentence as the two accused must be permanently removed from society.”
Dakuse was represented by defence attorney Templeton Solani and Rasmeni by advocate Gustav Joubert.
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