SCA to hear Hewitt’s appeal

Former tennis star Bob Hewitt was convicted of raping two children and molesting a teenager. File picture: Masi Losi

Former tennis star Bob Hewitt was convicted of raping two children and molesting a teenager. File picture: Masi Losi

Published May 3, 2016

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Port Elizabeth - Convicted rapist and former tennis star Bob Hewitt's leave to appeal his six-year jail term is expected to get under way in the Supreme Court of Appeal on Tuesday.

Last year Hewitt, 76, was found guilty on two counts of rape and one of sexual assault after three women testified that he took advantage of them while he was their tennis coach in the 1980s and 1990s. One of the women said that Hewitt had assaulted her when she was 12 years old.

Read: More bad news for disgraced Hewitt

Hewitt subsequently applied for leave to appeal his conviction and sentence. However, Judge Bert Bam denied Hewitt leave to appeal his conviction, but let him lodge an application to appeal his six-year jail sentence.

In delivering a guilty verdict, Judge Bam went into detail about the seriousness of rape, but also took Hewitt's age and health into consideration. “If he had been convicted in his 50s, he would have received at least a 20-year jail term,” Bam said.

The judge said justice must be seen to be done, even for ageing offenders, adding that Hewitt was not terminally ill and could be treated in prison for his heart condition.

Hewitt's bail was previously extended and he is said to be living at his home in the Eastern Cape.

ANA

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