Uitenhage man jailed for life for murder of 5-year-old girl

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

A 38-year-old Uitenhage man, Dawid Booysen, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a five-year-old girl who went to his house to ask for some bread.

Booysen was also sentenced on Wednesday by Judge Dyalin Chetty to five years on a charge of attempting to rape little Catherine Jooste.

In passing sentence, Judge Chetty, said Booysen should be "removed from society", adding that he was a "danger to woman". He also ordered that his name be added to the Register of Sex Offendors.

Chetty also rejected Booysen's application for leave to appeal.

According to Booysen's plea explanation, Catherine who was playing outside with friends knocked on his door on December 21 to ask for some bread.

He said he was alone at home and under the influence of alcohol and that he took the child to his bedroom where he started touching and kissing her. Booysen said when the child screamed he put his hands around her neck to keep her quiet but then took a knife and stabbed her in the throat.

The state contended that he then raped her corpse.

Catherine's mother, Christina Pienaar, said she was happy with the sentence but added that it had a bad effect family, especially the younger sibling who still suffers from nightmares.