A man arrested for the rape of a four-year-old girl in Hermanus over the weekend was out on parole at the time, the Western Cape National Prosecuting Authority said on Monday.
Spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said that, according to the investigating officer, the 23-year-old suspect had been out on parole for a separate case of attempted rape.
The man abandoned his bail application in the Hermanus Magistrate's Court on Monday and the case was postponed to August 23 for further investigation.
The child went missing in Hermanus on Saturday. She was found four hours after her disappearance was reported.
Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Andre Traut said the girl was reported missing at about 11:00.
Colonel Luthando Nosilela, of the Hermanus police, said locals and officers searched for the girl, who had last been seen at her home that morning.
She was spotted on surveillance cameras around 15:00 at the Total garage next to the R43, he confirmed.
An employee contacted the police.
The girl was bloodied and she was taken to hospital.
Both the suspect and the child are from Mount Pleasant, and Nosilela said it was possible that her assailant was known to her.
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