A supervisor of a well-known rehabilitation centre in Hanover has been sentenced to an effective 28 years of direct imprisonment following convictions in the De Aar Regional Court on Monday, 22 June 2026. The accused was found guilty of multiple offenses involving two victims, including two counts of common assault, four counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH), crimen injuria, kidnapping, attempted murder, and one count of rape.
First Incident and Investigation
The first case involves a 39-year-old man who was admitted to the Hanover rehabilitation centre. On 30 October 2019, the victim escaped the facility after being assaulted and sexually assaulted by an employee. He reported the incident to the police shortly afterward, and medical examinations confirmed that he had been physically and severely sexually assaulted.
The case was assigned to Detective Sergeant Ilza Fan and Sergeant Shawn Moses of the De Aar Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit. Their investigation led to the arrest of the accused, who was subsequently released on bail.
Second Incident and Breach of Bail
The second incident involves a 53-year-old woman who opened a case of kidnapping and assault against the same accused on 22 July 2021. The investigation was handled by Sergeant Shawn Moses of the De Aar FCS Unit. The accused was arrested and released on bail on the condition that he undergo mental observation.
The accused failed to comply with the court-ordered conditions. Instead, he severely assaulted the second victim on Saturday, 18 January 2025, which resulted in his re-arrest. He remained in custody until his conviction and sentencing.
Sentencing Details
In the De Aar Regional Court, the accused was sentenced as follows:
Count 1 (Common Assault): 6 months’ imprisonment
Count 2 (Common Assault): 6 months’ imprisonment
Count 3 (Rape): 6 years’ imprisonment
Count 4 (Assault GBH): 2 years’ imprisonment
Count 5 (Assault GBH): 3 years’ imprisonment
Count 6 (Assault GBH): 3 years’ imprisonment
Count 7 (Assault GBH): 3 years’ imprisonment
Count 8 (Crimen Injuria): 2 years’ imprisonment
Count 9 (Kidnapping): 3 years’ imprisonment
Count 10 (Attempted Murder): 15 years’ imprisonment
The court ordered that the sentences for counts 1 through 6, as well as counts 8 and 9, run concurrently, resulting in an effective 10 years of direct imprisonment. The sentences for counts 7 and 10 were ordered to run concurrently, resulting in an effective 18 years of direct imprisonment. This brings the total effective sentence to 28 years of direct imprisonment.