A 34-year-old man is facing charges in court, accused of r*pe, s*xual ass*ult, and ‘s*xual intimidation.’ The allegations suggest that he committed these acts against an 11-year-old girl on multiple occasions over a two-year period at St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls in Pretoria.
The individual, who remains unnamed until pleading to the s*xual offenses charges, presented himself to the police and subsequently appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Dressed in glasses, a navy-blue collared shirt with rolled-up sleeves, and chinos, he stood quietly in the dock. The State expressed opposition to his bail application but sought a postponement. Advocate Christo Meiring, representing the accused, informed the court that the defense was prepared for the bail application and was initially informed it would be unopposed.
However, State prosecutor Liana Bosman expressed concerns about the accused being a flight risk, indicating that related matters required investigation by the police. Without delving into specifics, Meiring countered, stating that the accused had canceled his flight tickets, maintained contact with the police since November 2023, and surrendered his passport to the investigating officer. Consequently, the court granted the State’s request for a postponement until 7 February.
As per the charge sheet, as viewed by News24, the man faces accusations of one count of r*pe, one count of s*xual assault, and one count of s*xual intimidation, the latter involving the threat of a s*xual offense. The allegations suggest that the accused committed s*xual assault and intimidation against the girl on numerous occasions, with the alleged r*pe occurring within the same two-year period.
The alleged incidents occurred at St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls in Pretoria. According to his LinkedIn profile, the accused held a position as a maths and science teacher at the school. Responding to inquiries from News24, the school verified that, based on their records, the accused served as a teacher from 2015 to 2018. However, the current Head of School and Junior School Principal, who joined in 2021 and 2020 respectively, stated they had no association with the accused. The school added that there were no records of the allegations, and the information had not been brought to its attention.