After almost a year, the man accused of raping and killing Chanelle McCrawl, 10, will go on trial at the Cape High Court on Friday.
Chanelle’s uncle, Carlo de Kock, has been charged with kidnapping, rape, murder and defeating the ends of justice for the events which led up to the Manenberg girl’s death in October last year.
Chanelle, who was a Grade 4 learner at Edendale Primary School, was reported missing on 19 October after she failed to arrive at school.
The next day her battered body was found wrapped in a curtain, placed in a shopping bag and dumped on the banks of a nearby river.
De Kock and neighbour, Stanton Mano, were subsequently arrested and charged with raping and murdering the young girl.
According to witnesses, Chanelle was last seen alive walking into her uncle’s Wendy house in Audrey Court to collect her two younger cousins.
But on the morning she disappeared her cousins had already left with their mother, Lavona McCrawl.
Their bail applications were denied by Magistrate Goolam Bawa last last year.
In July the National Prosecuting Authority dropped all charges against Mano while they prepared the High Court indictment against De Kock.
According to the indictment, he is accused of raping the young girl and strangling and beating her to death.
He is also charged with defeating the ends of justice for allegedly cleaning his Wendy house of her blood and dumping her body.
He will make his first appearance in the Cape High Court this morning for the pre-trial.