Child rapist gets 35 years behind bars

The regional court handed down a hefty sentence on a man arrested in 2014 for seducing and raping four minor girls in Swakopmund.
Otis Finck
Otis Finck - Dragan Vujicin (68) was sentenced to 35 years direct imprisonment on five counts of rape and four counts of human trafficking involving four minors in the Swakopmund regional court on Friday.

Magistrate Gaynor Poulton pronounced sentence after she had found Vujicin guilty on 31 January on 11 charges stemming from a series of incidents that occurred during 2013 and 2014.

Poulton sentenced him five years imprisonment each on four of the human trafficking and ten years each on seven counts of rape.

She ordered that three of the human trafficking sentences run concurrently with the first count, and that four of the rape sentences run concurrently with three of the sentences, resulting in an effective prison term of 35 years.

In sentencing Poulton said that Vujicin did not show any sign of remorse or offered an apology.

“The version of the accused was a bare denial and up to today he does not want to accept blameworthiness for what he did. The accused is a father with a daughter who is equally vulnerable against his mode of operation. The age disparity of 50 years is also aggravating since the accused could have been the father or grandfather of the victims.”

Poulton said it is aggravating that the accused targeted children which he knew were vulnerable, and exploited their vulnerability by making them performed despicable sexual acts.

“The children were merely seven to nine years old when the crimes were committed. He groomed them until the stage they did not bother to report the inappropriate deed that was done to them by a wonderful uncle, and abused his position of trust. He also did not commit the offence once but several times.”

She added that rape is without a doubt one of the most serious and inhuman offences that could be committed against a woman, while trafficking in persons was an equally serious offence.

“Rape is a heinous offense while the seriousness of human trafficking is evident from the penalty provisions. There is a daily outcry that this offence must be stopped. It is expected from the courts to sentence in such a way to deter and prevent.”

Two of the victims’ mothers and a social worker testified for the state represented by Maria Shilongo. Dragan did not call any witnesses.

His lawyer, Mpokiseng Dube, submitted that he had no previous convictions and was married with three minor children.

“He stayed for a year in pre-trail incarceration and is of fragile health.”

Dube advanced the age of the accused, the fact that there was no penile penetration, and the fact that due to the age of the accused, it would be unjust to incarcerate him for very long, as substantial and compelling factors for the court to deviate from the prescribed mandatory sentence.