MALMESBURY, Western Cape - A 52-year-old Malmesbury man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for repeatedly raping his three biological daughters over several years. The sentence was handed down by the Malmesbury Regional Court yesterday, after the accused pleaded guilty to the charges.

According to Thembakazi Mpendukana, Western Cape police spokesperson, the abuse began when the girls were as young as two years old and continued until they were teenagers. "The accused would take the children, one at a time, to their holiday home where he would force them to perform oral sex on him and then proceed to rape them. This continued until the youngest daughter turned 16 years old,"

The crimes only came to light after the victims' mother decided to divorce the accused. During that process, the three daughters disclosed the years of abuse they had endured.

The case was investigated by Dt Sgt Felicity Balie of the Paarl Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit. Following his guilty plea, the court sentenced the accused to life imprisonment. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm, and the court ordered that his details be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.

Police commended Dt Sgt Balie for her work in securing the successful prosecution and sentence.