Kesaobaka Ise Bareeng has only been alive for 23 years.
He will spend the next 20 years of his life locked up in a prison cell after Molepolole Magistrates Court chose to throw the book at the child rapist on Tuesday.
Blaming his behaviour on booze and dagga, Bareeng admitted raping a 12-year-old girl as she walked home from school on 4 December last year.
The Legonono ward youth confessed to approaching the victim from behind, tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention and then dragging her towards a nearby stream, threatening to stab her if she screamed.
It was heard he tripped the schoolgirl, bringing her down to the ground, where he bit her on the neck and right arm, before proceeding to rape her.
Spotting a man walking close by, the child cried for help, at which point Bareeng fled.
The matter was reported to the police, with the boys in blue closing in on the suspect two months later.
Begging the court to go easy on him, Bareeng wasted little time in pleading guilty, claiming he had acted out of character.
“I never intended to do this. May the court have mercy on me; I was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana.”
Saving court’s time could not save Bareeng from a lengthy sentence however, as Principal Magistrate Solomon Setshedi handed down a 20-year prison term, explaining this was the mandatory punishment considering the violent nature of the crime.
