South Africa: Hindu priest jailed for raping a child devotee brought to him to be blessed

Proceedings

1. Date in cited record · conviction and sentence; post-trial application to reopen case for new evidence dismissed

   Durban Magistrate's Court. Cooper Reddy, 60, of Havenside, Chatsworth, was convicted on two counts of rape, one of indecent assault and one of sexual assault, and sentenced to 15 years in prison. The complainant, taken to Reddy to be blessed, was nine years old when the abuse began in 2006; it continued until 2010. After sentencing, Reddy's lawyer applied to the Durban Magistrate's Court to reopen the defence case to admit further evidence, arguing inadequate trial representation; the application was dismissed, the prosecution successfully arguing the statute was not intended to let the defence supplement evidence it had failed to lead at trial. The conviction stood at that stage; no further appellate outcome is confirmed in available reporting.

Documented coercion mechanisms

• child brought to him specifically to receive a religious blessing
• repeated access over several years under that pretext