A 44-year-old man from Bronville, Free State, South Africa, has been handed two life sentences after being found guilty of repeatedly r@ping two girls aged 13 and 14.
The Welkom regional court convicted Charles Matthias Titus on multiple charges following the 2019 attack, in which he lured the victims away from their friends during a netball match at Dubai squatter camp.
According to police spokesperson Sgt Palesa Thabana, Titus asked the girls to buy something for him at a local tuckshop. When they returned, he led them to his shack. “Upon their return from the tuckshop, they went to the accused’s shack, where he prepared food for them to eat. While at the shack after they ate, he locked the door, took a knife from the drawer and threatened the victims. He further tied them up with shoelaces and put socks in their mouths before taking turns and repeatedly r@ping them as the other watched,” Thabana said.
The victims reported the incident to their elders, leading to Titus’s arrest. Sgt Themba Jilimba of the Thabong Family Violence, Child Protection and S3xual Offences Unit (FCS) led the investigation, ensuring Titus was denied bail until trial.
After a lengthy court process, Titus was sentenced to two life terms for r@pe and an additional 10 years for compelling or causing children to witness a s3xual offence. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning he will serve an effective one life sentence.
