A 34-year-old male teacher charged for rape and sexually grooming at a school where he taught has been granted bail.
The former teacher from St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls was granted R10 000 bail by the Pretoria Magistrate's Court. He is facing charges of rape, sexual assault, and sexual grooming.
St Mary's Diocesan School for Girls is an Anglican private boarding school for girls situated in Hillcrest, Pretoria
It is the state’s case that when he was employed as a teacher at St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls between 2017 and 2018, he raped, sexually assaulted, and sexually groomed a grade 5 learner, at the school during swimming lessons and when he was giving her extra classes. At the time of the alleged incidents, the learner was between 10 and 11 years old.
The court heard that the child only realised that what was done to her was wrong, after she attended sexual offence classes in 2019.
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Thereafter it is alleged that the child started to misbehave, and self-harm by cutting herself. After the mother noticed the behaviour changes and enquired, the child then disclosed to the mother what had allegedly happened. The mother then took the child to a social worker in 2019, and she was later referred to a forensic social worker in 2023.
A case was later opened with the police in Cape Town and was transferred to Brooklyn Police Station.
Through his attorney, the former teacher asked to be released on bail, because he has no previous conviction nor pending cases.
He also told the court that he cooperated with the state by handing himself over to the police, when he realised that the police were looking for him and he also handed in his passport.
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The state however opposed his bail application and told the court that should the former teacher be convicted; he would face a long jail term. Furthermore, the former teacher was a flight risk, since he had no assets in South Africa, and it would be difficult to trace him since he is also unemployed should he decide to skip the country.
The magistrate granted him bail with conditions that he should report to his closest police station three times a week, and that he should not interfere directly or indirectly with state witnesses.
The matter was postponed to 27 March 2024, for further investigations.
