MASERU — A 22-year-old man from Marabeng appeared in the Maseru Magistrate’s Court on Monday charged with the sexual assault of an 85-year-old granny last month.
The complainant, whose name cannot be published for ethical reasons, told the court that she was sleeping on March 7 when Thabang Ntsoke entered her house and got into her bed.
“He strangled me and tried to sexually abuse me by putting his penis on my thighs. I screamed for help while I scratched his face with my fingers,” she said.
“I did not see him as it was dark in the house but I scratched his face and tore his clothes,” she said.
“In the morning I found a neck-lace (suspected to be Ntsoke’s) on the stoep and I took it with me when I went to report the matter at Mabote police station,” she said.
The victim’s daughter testified that Ntsoke had ealier that night approached her at a bar and asked her where her mother was.
“On Saturday March 7, 2010, while I was drinking with some friends at one of the local bars, a man who introduced himself to me as Thabang Ntsoke asked where my son was.
“He further asked who is staying with my mother and I told him that she was still staying alone.
“He was wearing a red, torn LCD (ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy party) T-shirt and a green trouser.
“Later when I went home in the company of my acquaintances I found a lot of people at the house and they told me that my mother had been sexually abused,” she said.
Police constable Khalapa who lives in the same area with the victim told the court that he had been startled from his sleep when he heard someone screaming and calling for help.
“I heard someone calling out for help. I went to the family and found a lot of people who had responded to the call for help,” he said.
“She (the victim) told me that a man had forcibly opened her door and got into her blankets.
“She said he beat her with his fists, kicking her with his knees on the thighs and ribs and strangled her.
“She told me she fought back by scratching his face and tearing his clothes.
“She told me that the man had ejaculated while trying to rape her.”
“I made my own investigations that led me to the accused who is now before the court,” Khalapa added.
He said the accused had new scratches on his face and his trousers had stains on the right and left sides of the zipper. He said the accused gave the police a torn LCD T-shirt.
During cross-examination, Ntsoke told the court that he had confessed after the police tortured him.
“I confessed to raping nkhono because I was being tortured. The police beat me with a sjambok,” he said.
The case was postponed to May 21.
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