KWAZULU NATAL - DURBAN COURT CONVICTS MAN OF 12 RAPES THANKS TO DNA & TOILET PAPER

A serial rapist who abducted 12 women, took them to a forest and raped them before robbing them of their belongings, was convicted of the sexual crimes.

This was the ruling by Durban High Court Judge Kate Pillay in the rape trial of Khanyisani Njabulo Ngobese, 29, who raped women at knife-point.

"The accused gave no explanation to this court [as to] why [the] women who did not know each other would conspire against him and accuse him of rape.

"All the offences had remarkable similarities. Victims were held at knife-point, forced into a bushy area where they were raped and robbed off their belongings," Pillay said.

Pillay also lashed out at Ngobese, accusing him of blatantly fabricating his version of events.

"The accused vehemently denied having a tattoo with number 28 written on his arm. But the state instructed him to show it to the court and [it] appeared that he had slightly erased it. If he was indeed in a relationship with the complainants, how come none of them knew his name?"

Among Ngobese's victims were two minors. He began his raping spree in Eshowe in March 2011, where he raped a 16-year-old girl who was on her way to borrow a traditional outfit.

The teen was still a virgin and was preparing to wear the outfit during the reed dance. She met Ngobese near a forest and the rapist held her at gun-point and raped her under a tree.

In April 2011, he fled his home village for Mandeni near Durban where he raped a six-year-old and left her at a forest. The little girl was discovered by residents after a frantic search. She was found bleeding profusely.

In the same month, he pounced on a 13-year-old primary school pupil who was on her way home from school. Like the other victims, he took her into a forest at knife-point where he raped her repeatedly.

In May 2012, Ngobese ambushed an Umfolozi TVET college student, raped her and stole her belongings.

After committing the sexual crimes Ngobese fled to Durban where he raped eight more women. His luck ran out when he was caught after DNA evidence linked him to all the rapes.

A piece of toilet paper he used to wipe himself after raping one of the women was key in connecting him to the sexual crimes.

He was also found guilty of 12 counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.

Ngobese had claimed he was innocent, saying he was in a relationships with the women and that they had consensual sexual intercourse.

He will be sentenced next week.

VIA - sowetanlive.co.za