The SAPS management in the Northern Cape has welcomed the 10-year prison sentence handed down to a 46-year-old father who brutally assaulted his 11-year-old daughter in Calvinia.

THE SOUTH African Police Service (SAPS) management in the Northern Cape has welcomed the 10-year prison sentence handed down to a 46-year-old father who viciously assaulted his 11-year-old daughter in Calvinia.

According to provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock, the incident occurred on Saturday, December 23, 2023, at approximately 9am.

Kock said the father subjected his daughter to a severe beating using a stick, causing multiple injuries to her body and head. The victim, bleeding and in distress, sought refuge with a family member who promptly alerted the authorities.

The father was apprehended the following day and subsequently faced trial in the Calvinia Regional Court. The court delivered the verdict on June 25, 2024, imposing a 10-year prison term for assault with the intent to commit grievous bodily harm (GBH).

Of this sentence, five years will be suspended for a period of five years. Additionally, the court declared the perpetrator unfit to possess a firearm or work with children.

Detective Constable Gregory Settley, from the Calvinia SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit, was commended for his “meticulous investigative work”, which played a pivotal role in securing the significant sentence against the GBVF (gender-based violence and femicide) offender.

The sentencing underscores the SAPS’s commitment to combat violence against women and children, ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable for their actions.