GAUTENG - MPUMALANGA RAPIST CLAIMS POLICE FORCED HIM TO MASTURBATE TO FRAME HIM

A Mpumalanga man found guilty on 25 counts, including 14 rapes, sexual assault and armed robbery, claims the police forced him to masturbate and took his semen to frame him.

Tumelo Johannes Mashego, 28, from Gutshwa near White River, who appeared for sentencing yesterday before Judge Brian Mashile at the North Gauteng High Court sitting in Mbombela, pleaded not guilty to 14 rape charges, saying when the rapes were committed he was nowhere near the crime scenes.

Mashego was arrested late in 2014 as police were looking for him for crimes committed in Pienaar, Masoyi and Lehawu in Mpumalanga.

According to a statement read by Mashego's lawyer, a Mr Mtsweni, the accused said: "I don't know what these women are talking about, I cannot argue with them.

"My DNA was taken by the police. They beat me and made me masturbate and used my semen to frame me, it's because I opened cases against them.

"When all cases they're talking about happened, I was in Bushbuckridge and Dube, Soweto, working."

Pienaar police spokesman Constable Jabu Ndubane told Sowetan the accused would prey on women between the ages of 15 and 27.

"Most of the victims are young women, including a 15-year-old who was raped in front of her sisters. The suspect would put them in one room, rape all of them and then rob them before he vanished," said Ndubane.

Judge Mashile said DNA evidence showed that the accused was lying, hence he found him guilty of 25 of the 28 charges he was facing.

Three charges were withdrawn after the state could not prove them beyond reasonable doubt.

"The accused was linked to the cases through DNA, the argument he brought that he doesn't know the victims and has never raped someone proves to be false.

"The accused alleges that he was forced to ejaculate and his semen was taken, however, that cannot be possible.

"The court, after considering the evidence on count 13, 27 and 28, found the accused not guilty.

"The court finds the accused guilty on all the other charges," Mashile said.

The state asked the court for a harsh sentence on Mashego, while the defence asked the court to be lenient because the accused has spent time in custody since he was not released on bail.

Judge Mashile postponed the case to Friday for sentencing.

He said the court should show justice to the public so that communities do not take the law into their own hands.

"This honourable court, in the interest of justice, needs to display justice for the public, so that they do not take the law into their hands," he said.

VIA - sowetanlive.co.za