Rustenburg-The North West High Court handed down two life terms and an additional 293 years to a man convicted of rape and other offences.
Lucky Lehloo of Tshing in Ventersdorp was sentenced at a high court sitting in Klerksdorp after he pleaded guilty to all charges against him.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Lehloo was charged with on 13 counts of rape, eight of robbery with aggravating circumstances, one of assault to commit grievous bodily harm and one of assault.
He was sentenced to two life terms for rape and a cumulative 293 years for other serious offences that include other rape charges, said NPA spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame.
"Lehloo’s conviction is linked to a series of offences he committed between November 2014 and July 2018 at 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 of their cellphones and money and raped them before fleeing the scene. In one house that he broke into, he found three women, robbed them of their cellphones and raped them," he said.
"He attacked five of the victims on the street, threatened them with a knife, and dragged them to 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 DNA samples."
Mamothame said one of Lehloo victims was a 73-year-old elderly woman who passed on in January 2020.
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