The Grahamstown High Court in South Africa has sentenced a man to life in prison for raping his stepdaughter over a period of 10 years while fully aware that he was HIV-positive.

Reports say the culprit started sexually assaulting his victim in 2008 when the then 11-year-old girl moved in with him and her mother in Queenstown.

Her ordeal worsened over the years.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said that he continued to rape her regularly until 2018.

NPA spokesperson Anelisa Ngcakani: “She eventually broke her silence in 2018, when he assaulted her for having a boyfriend. His application for leave to appeal the sentence of life imprisonment was refused by the Grahamstown High Court. The NPA welcomes the sentence.”