A couple has been handed prison sentences after being found guilty of human trafficking and brothel operation.
Jude Ikenna Ijegulu, a 34-year-old Nigerian national, and his 29-year-old partner, Elizabeth Botes from Centurion, Pretoria, were sentenced in the Pretoria High Court. Ijegulu also received two life sentences for two rape convictions and an additional two years for illegal entry into South Africa.
This was reported by the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
It was reported that the court had mandated his inclusion in the National Register of Sexual Offenders. Lumka Mahanjana, the spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in Gauteng, expressed satisfaction with the sentences handed down. According to Mahanjana, between November 2016 and September 2017, the couple operated a brothel in Centurion where they exploited and abused two women.
During this time, the man committed multiple acts of rape against the victims, supplied them with drugs, and subjected them to physical and sexual assaults. Furthermore, the victims were coerced into providing sexual services to clients.
The Judge concluded that the couple had violated the Human Trafficking Act. In addition to these offenses, the man enslaved the victims and subjected them to continual drug use.
