2015-03-04Staff Report 2 WINDHOEK - A man already serving a sentence of 53 years for the rape and murder of a 55-year-old school teacher in Keetmanshoop in 2007 was found guilty of the rape of children in the period 2004 to 2005. Quinton Pieters was convicted yesterday in the High Court of three counts of rape and one count of attempted rape, as well as a count of theft and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Appearing in his jailhouse greens, Pieters showed no emotion save for an expression of utter boredom when Judge Naomi Shivute read the verdict. He was convicted of attempting to rape a then 11-year-old girl near Koppieslaagte in Keetmanshoop in August 2004. He was further found guilty of stealing a N$10 note from the girl’s cousin on the same occasion. Judge Shivute also convicted Pieters of the rape of a young woman in June of 2005 near Westdene in Keetmanshoop and of assaulting the complainant. In another conviction it was found he violated a 13-year-old girl at Noordhoek also in Keetmanshoop in October, 2007. He was however acquitted on a second charge of rape involving the same girl as the State conceded it failed to prove the count. The girl testified that Pieters ordered her to conduct oral sex on him, but she refused. The judge also convicted Pieters on a third rape charge for sodomising a ten-year-old boy in October 2007 near the J Stephanus Stadium in Keetmanshoop. In her judgement, the judge said although the witnesses were single witnesses, they all gave credible testimony and were not shaken under cross-examination. She also said dock identification as was done in this instance could pose some dangers if it forms part of evidential material to be tested. She said since the accused refused to take part in various identification parades for no reasonable grounds, the witnesses gave a proper description of the accused and the only reasonable inference that could be drawn was that the accused was afraid to be identified during the parades. She said she was satisfied that it was indeed Pieters who committed the despicable acts against the complainants. She said he used the same modus operandi each time by pretending to be a person of trust, namely a police officer or a security guard. Judge Shivute said the complainants gave their evidence in a straightforward manner and were reliable and truthful. On the other hand, she said, the accused’s versions are false and must be rejected as such. Pieters pleaded not guilty to all charges at the start of his trial in September 2011 after he was already sentenced for the senseless murder of Maas. The matter has been postponed to March 23 for submissions on the sentence to be handed down for the serial rapes. 2015-03-04Staff Report 2
