A serial rapist was sentenced to 15 life terms and an additional 30 years' direct imprisonment in the Western Cape High Court on Thursday.
Herman Harker, 66, was arrested in June 2018 on charges of rape and abduction in Ladismith, but was soon linked to other rape cases in Eersterivier, Gouda, Stellenbosch and Wolseley.
Harker was subsequently convicted on 15 counts of rape, four counts of abduction and two counts of sexual assault.
With his crimes dating back to 2015, Harker’s modus operandi included tricking his victims into walking with him, threatening them, forcing them to undress themselves, forcing them into bushes to rape them, then threatening their lives and that of their families with violence should they mention the incident.
One of the victims was one of Harker’s daughter’s friends, whom he violated when she came over to their home to visit.
His youngest victim was only 9 years old.
Harker persuaded the young child to show him where the main road in Ladismith was and enticed her with a promise of financial reward. However, he pulled her into the bushes, forced her to undress and raped her. He then forced her to re-dress and took her deeper into the bushes, only to rape her again.
Serial rapist Herman Harker received 15 life terms and 30 years' direct imprisonment.
Photo: SAPS
Harker, a married man, had been in prison before and had several convictions, including a number of rapes. In 2006, he was out on parole and by 2007 he was placed on parole supervision.
Senior State prosecutor, advocate Mornay Julius, asked the court to impose the maximum sentence for each rape, life imprisonment and direct imprisonment for other crimes Harker committed.
Julius’s victim impact reports gripped the court as the traumatised victims shared the same sentiment that "life is no longer worth living".
SA Police Service’s divisional commissioner of detectives, Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili, lauded the work done by investigators in this case.
“The concrete foundation laid by the investigating officers enabled Detective Services’ Serial and Electronic FCS Investigation (SECI) to take forward a watertight evidence-based docket to court and that has ensured this hefty sentence imposed on this serial rapist, Harker," said Mosikili.
SECI is a specialised section within the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit.
“It is the calibre and dedication of these investigators that bring closure to the survivors of rape,” said Mosikili.