Ninow's bid to appeal conviction, sentence to be heard on Friday

Nicholas Ninow is expected to apply for leave to appeal his conviction and sentence in the High Court in Pretoria on Friday.

The 21-year-old was sentenced to life in prison for raping a 7-year-old girl in the bathroom of a Pretoria restaurant in 2018.

Ninow confessed to the crime during the trial.

The high court also handed Ninow five-year sentences for drug possession and for defeating the ends of justice which will run concurrently with the life sentence.

The hearing of Nicolas Ninow, who is appealing against both sentence and conviction is set down for hearing on Friday at the Pretoria High Court.

The group's Themba Masango says the 7-year-old girl is being "reabused by Ninow".

"What he got what befitting to the crime and I do not feel that the honourable court should actually be listening to what he has to say.

"He had a free trial that lasted longer than most trials with cases so cut and clear. So all fairness has been awarded to Nicholas Ninow. No one ever spoke about the rights of the child so we feel that this is now abuse of the legal system," Masango adds.

Masango says the courts must learn from the justice department's failure to ensure that parolees do not become repeat offenders.

Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola has admitted that there is a need to review the country's parole system after two parolees were implicated in the rape and murder of minors in the Western Cape.

"Who knows and who says that this person has actually been rehabilitated," says Masango.

The advocacy group says it will be in court when proceedings get underway.