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Non-profit organisation Women and Men Against Child Abuse is appalled by the "inappropriately short sentence" of just three years handed down to a George dentist for a sexual assault of a minor.
Dr Ian Venter, a 46-year old dentist from George, was sentenced to three years imprisonment this week for "unlawfully and intentionally" violating a 13-year-old boy in 2015 by asking him to touch his genitals.
"As an organisation advocating for children's rights [we] really believe that child sexual abuse cases should warrant much harsher sentences.
"The Children's Act clearly states that children have a right to safety and should [be] allowed to live free from violence and abuse," WMACA said in a statement on Thursday.
During the reading of sentencing in the George Circuit High Court, Magistrate Francis Makamandela felt the court needed to keep a fair balance and consider all the children concerned, both the victims and Venter’s own children.
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Additionally, his particulars are to be included in the National Register for Sex Offenders and he has been found to be unsuitable to work with children.
An application for leave to appeal was dismissed.
The outrage shown in response to the sentencing is due, in no small part, to this being Venter's second sentencing for a sexual offence against a minor.
In November 2014, he was found guilty of a sexual offence against a 15-year-old boy and spent a term of four years under correctional supervision.
The second sexual assault was committed just five months after his initial conviction.
"Given that this was his second offence, we believe a much longer jail term would have been the only fitting punishment," WMACA added.
Western Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila noted that "... the accused was previously convicted in another matter and one of the suspended conditions was that he is not allowed to treat children in his practice. He breached that condition. We are busy pursuing that and we will bring it to court soon."
