[Sensitive content warning] Teacher sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for sexually assaulting learner

A 58-year-old Northern Cape teacher has been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for sexually assaulting a learner.

Allan Reed was found guilty by the Kuruman Regional Court.

The incident took place in February 2015, when the 12-year-old learner went to ask Reed for assistance.

The court heard that Reed put his arm around the victim, kissed her and then put his hand inside the girl’s underwear. The 12-year-old learner then reported the matter to another teacher.

The incident was reported to the police and Reed was arrested.

He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm and his name will appear in the National Register of Sexual offenders.

He was sentenced to 6-years, of which two years will be suspended for 5-years.

Meanwhile, a Limpopo family remains adamant that their neighbour raped two children and bathed them afterwards to cover up his crime. But police say there was no proof of penetration in a case that dates back to December 2016. The neighbour was ultimately cleared when a DNA test came back negative. But a relative blamed this on the time lapse between the alleged abuse and the medical examination.

Police spokesperson, Motlafela Mojapelo, says the case is closed.

“We didn’t have any evidence that pointed that the children were raped. There was no evidence that linked the neighbour to this crime. That is why then we also decide to take some DNA samples, but they also came back negative. Then the statement from the neighbour and one of the children, you know, they were so young. They could(not) even explain exactly what happened. We then took the docket for decision and the prosecutor decided not to prosecute,” Mojapelo explains.