Captain Vincent Pandarum the grade four pupil was brutally raped in Esperanza, near Umzinto, last Thursday.

"It is alleged that the victim and two of her cousins had gone to the taxi rank to wait for the arrival of a relative. They were approached by a naked man and tried to run away. The man chased the children and caught up with the victim who was too exhausted to continue running," he said.

Pandarum said the man dragged the girl into the bushes where he allegedly raped her.

"During her ordeal, she heard her mother call and tried to respond but the man clamped her mouth shut with his hand. The little girl bit his hand and managed to scream for her mother. The rapist in turn bit her in the face and her ear before running off."

The girl sustained bite marks to her face and part of her right ear was bitten off.

Pandarum said that the rapist hitch-hiked to Flagstaff in the Eastern Cape and remained in hiding at a relative's house.

"The Family violence, Child protection and Sexual offences unit surprised him last Sunday when they stormed the relative's house and placed him under arrest.

"The victim is undergoing plastic surgery to have her mutilated ear reconstructed. Detectives are investigating the possibility that the suspect may be linked to other attacks and rapes in the area," said Pandarum.

The man is expected to appear in the Umzinto Magistrates' Court on Wednesday 7 October.

Sapa

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