…as Crown appeals acquittal
Hopolang Mokhopi
ALLEGED restaurant rapist Reabetsoe “Katara” Bulane’s freedom remains uncertain after the Crown filed an appeal against his acquittal in the Maseru Magistrate’s Court.
Following Senior Resident Magistrate Thabang Tapole’s judgment on 17 October 2025, which found Bulane not guilty of sexual assault charges, the Crown lodged a notice of appeal with the High Court challenging the verdict.
Bulane, an employee of Cappello Maseru, had been accused of raping a woman on 20 January last year at or near the Market Restaurant
The Crown now argues that Magistrate Tapole erred in his judgment and misdirected himself by acquitting the accused despite what it describes as overwhelming evidence from the complainant and corroborating witnesses.
According to the appeal, the magistrate placed undue emphasis on the complainant’s intoxication while overlooking crucial supporting testimony. Crown witnesses reportedly saw the accused emerge from the female toilet, supporting the complainant with his arm—an incident central to the case.
The appeal also contests the magistrate’s finding that the complainant’s identification of Bulane was unreliable. Crown witness, one Tsepe, testified that it was indeed the accused who exited the toilet with the complainant.
The Crown further argues that the magistrate wrongly discredited the complainant’s testimony, the only direct account of events inside the toilet. Supporting circumstances cited include: automatic toilet lights that switched on upon entry, the accused being seen exiting the same toilet with the complainant, the alleged remark by Bulane, “this chick gave me her p*ssy”, after hearing the complainant claim she had been raped, and the pair spending approximately 10 to 15 minutes inside the toilet.
The Crown maintains that, given these circumstances, the case should have been proven beyond reasonable doubt, and the accused ought to have been found guilty. It also criticizes the magistrate for accepting Bulane’s testimony in its entirety while disregarding all evidence presented by the Crown, noting that the finding that the complainant’s immediate silence weakened the case amounted to a misdirection.
The Crown has reserved the right to file additional grounds of appeal once the full record of proceedings is made available by the Clerk of Court and the Registrar of the High Court, in accordance with Rule 62 of the Subordinate Court Rules of 1996.
The notice of appeal, dated 31 October 2025, was filed in Maseru.