On Tuesday, the Wynberg Regional Court convicted a Western Cape police officer from the Lwandle Crime Prevention Unit for r*ping an 18-year-old woman.
Phaladi Shuping, spokesperson for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), stated that the event occurred on July 4, 2018, after three officers arrested the victim for allegedly peddling drugs.
“Three police officers, including Constable Jerome Coetzee, searched a residence in the neighborhood for drugs. They investigated the house and discovered three packets of cocaine, as well as arresting an 18-year-old lady who was present,” Shuping stated.
According to Shuping, Constable Coetzee drove and dropped off his two colleagues at the police station while the victim was in the rear.
“He drove to a lonely spot and r*ped the woman in the police vehicle. The complainant reported the event and correctly identified Constable Coetzee.4
“The incident was reported to IPID for investigations and the police officer was charged and arrested for r*pe,” Shuping told reporters.
He stated that he would be sentenced on November 29, 2024.
In a similar case, a KwaZulu-Natal police officer accused of r*pe was released on R5,000 bond by the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court.
Shuping stated that the constable was arrested after a 26-year-old lady filed a complaint after visiting the Pietermaritzburg police station to get an affidavit.
“She met a police officer who was dressed in full uniform and the officer offered to assist the complainant and asked her to follow him to his office,” Shuping told me.
“He requested her to wait in the office and went to get an affidavit. He returned, finished the document, and then reportedly made moves on the complainant.
“She rejected his advances and the police officer locked the door, removed his service pistol, placed it on the table and allegedly r*ped the complainant,” Shuping told me.
Shuping stated that the victim reported the event to her family, who accompanied her to Mountain Rise Police Station to file a report.
“The incident was reported to IPID and they took over the case for investigation,” he informed me.
