The North West High Court handed two life terms and an additional 293 years to a man from Ventersdorp convicted of rape and other offences.
Lucky Lehloo a serial rapist linked to a series of offences he committed between November 2014 and July 2018 at Tshing in Ventersdorp, was sentenced after he pled guilty to all charges against him.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Lehloo was charged with 13 counts of rape, eight of robbery with aggravating circumstances, one of assault to commit grievous bodily harm and one of assault to commit grievous bodily harm.
He was handed two life terms for rape and cumulative 293 years for other serious offences which include other rape charges, said Henry Mamothame, the NPA spokesperson in the North West.
“Lehloo’s conviction is linked to a series of offences he committed between November 2014and July 2018at Tshing in Ventersdorp. Evidence presented in court revealed that seven of the victims were accosted at their homes, whereat Lehloo broke in and robbed them off their cellphones and money and raped them before fleeing the scene. In one house that he broke into, he found three women, robbed them off their cellphones and raped them,” he said.
“He attacked five of the victims on the street, threatened them with a knife, and dragged them into the bushes, where he raped them and robbed them of their belongings.
“On one occasion, he went to a home where he found a 15-year-old girl and deceived her into believing that her grandmother sent him to do the garden. She then provided him with the garden tools, but he later walked into the house and raped her. In two of the incidents, he severely assaulted and stabbed the victims with a knife and raped them before fleeing the scene. He was linked to these offences through DND samples.”
One of Lehloo’s victims was a 73-year-old elderly woman who passed away in January 2020, said Mamothame
Source: News24, IOL, The South African, image from IOL: Molaole Montsho