… Teboho Ramothoto (25) accused of abusing two five-year-old girls last week and giving them 50 lisente each to buy their silence
Keiso Mohloboli
A 25-YEAR-OLD man from Nkotoane village in Mokhotlong appeared in the Mokhotlong Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday last week charged with sexually abusing two five-year-old girls from his neighbourhood.
The suspect, Teboho Ramothoto, was remanded in custody pending his next appearance in the same court on 10 December 2014.
According to police spokesperson, Lebona Mohloboli, the suspect allegedly committed the crimes last Tuesday after luring his victims with M1 worth of sweets, and then giving the children 50 lisente each to buy their silence.
Senior Inspector Mohloboli told the Sunday Express: “Police investigations have revealed that the five-year-old girls were playing with their friends on the day in question, when the suspect, Teboho Ramothoto, gave them M1 and asked them to buy sweets from a nearby shop.
“The investigations further revealed that the suspect then called the two girls to his house where he sexually abused them and warned them not to tell anyone about the abuse. After the assault, the police probe further noted, the suspect then again gave the two children 50 lisente each and then released them back to their friends.
“However, when the little girls went back to the playground, they were in pain because of the abuse and their friends alerted the elders about it. It was the elders who reported the matter to the police, leading to the suspect’s arrest and appearance in court the following day.”
Meanwhile, Gender Links country manager, ‘Manteboheleng Mabethe told the Sunday Express that rape cases are always depressing because most of the time, they are perpetrated by people who should be protecting the victims.
Ms Mabethe further told the Sunday Express that although Gender Links is yet to officially launch the results of a study carried out in March 2013, they indicated that instead of decreasing, cases of rape are escalating in Lesotho.
Formed in March 2001, Gender Links is a southern African Nongovernmental Organisation (NGO) which promotes gender-equality and justice across the fifteen countries of the region.