HOW SAFE IS YOUR CHILD REALLY?

A recent abuse tragedy has led to calls for the public to have readier access to the sexual offenders register

- KESHIA AFRICA

IT’S a fear that many parents face when they send their child out on a sleepover with a friend – the dread and anxiety that something bad will happen to them while they’re away.

Careful checking and vetting of the friend’s family often provides peace of mind. But as one Cape Town couple recently discovered, there’s no way to be 100% sure of what dangers lurk in the shadows.

At the age of eight Daniël Jamneck became another horrendous statistic after he was found dead in a bed at his friend’s home in Kraaifontein. He’d been sexually assaulted and strangled, allegedly by his friend’s father, a 47-year-old man who’d been accused of rape in 2005.

The man had been placed on a three-year sexual offences diversion programme, but reportedly checked himself out of the state rehabilitation programme after only three months.

His victim in that case, now a 38-year-old businesswoman who prefers not to be named, told the Sunday Times no one had informed her he’d absconded. He’d allegedly spiked her drink then raped her and the diversion programme was part of the punishment meted out then.

The man, whose identity has been withheld to protect his son, has since been arrested and faces murder and new rape charges.

Daniël’s parents had no inkling of any of his past when they agreed to let their boy stay in the man’s home. They’d come to know him as an upstanding member of the community – he was a trusted neighbourhood watch member for several years.

His tragic case has once again ignited the debate around making the national register of sex offenders (NRSO) public.