A Mitchells Plain man accused of raping and indecently assaulting six young girls has denied the allegations against him.
|||Cape Town - A Mitchells Plain man accused of raping and indecently assaulting six young girls - one of them just three years old - has denied the allegations against him.
Achmat Benting, 58, of Beacon Valley handed in an affidavit as evidence during his bail application in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
In it, he denied that he sexually assaulted the girls between 2010 and last year. He added that the charge sheet was vague.
Benting has been charged with four counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of crimen injuria. He is accused of raping and inappropriately touching girls aged 14, 10, eight, four and three between 2010 and last year. One of the girls was alleged to have been raped twice.
The crimen injuria charge relates to an incident 18 years ago in which Benting allegedly “insulted the dignity” of a nine-year-old girl.
The girl, now 27, came forward after she heard that Benting had been charged. “Nothing can be further from the truth… there is no substance in the allegations,” Benting said.
He said further that he would not evade his trial, intimidate witnesses or destroy evidence and that his release would not disturb “public peace”.
Benting, who has been married for 38 years and has no children, rejected claims that he abused his neighbours’ children.
Benting said that, shortly after his arrest on December 26, he was taken to the police station and asked to make a statement. He has disputed the contents of the statement, saying he had not read it.
He added that three blank documents were given to him to sign, which he did, because he was scared. When he later looked at the documents, they had been written on, “I was shocked - my statement says I have a sexual problem and I get aroused when young children sit on my lap”.
He told magistrate Walter Golding he would abide by any bail conditions. Outside court, protesters demanded that Benting remain in custody.
The hearing will continue on May 21.
jade.otto@inl.co.za
Cape Argus