/ 12 October 2011

‘Facebook rapist’ pleads guilty to rape, theft

The man dubbed the “Facebook rapist” has pleaded guilty to raping two women and robbing them of their valuables.

Thomas Bester pleaded guilty to all four charges against him in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday afternoon.

He faced two counts of rape and two counts of armed robbery with aggravating circumstances.

His lawyer Narendra Narotam read a statement to the court in which he explained how he committed the crimes.

He admitted raping two women in Westville and Umhlanga, in Durban, in August.

Although he raped them, his intention was only to rob them of their valuables such as cellphones, credit cards and watches.

It emerged in court that Bester had a previous conviction for fraud. Details of the conviction were expected to be released when he appeared again in court on Friday.

Narotam suggested his client be assessed by a psychologist, saying Bester had tried to commit suicide.

“He has told me many things that I cannot mention here. I believe a psychological report will be needed,” he said.

Bester told the court he understood the nature of the charges he faced.

He was arrested last Wednesday in Alberton, south of Johannesburg.

Bester lured women by sending them e-mails claiming international modelling scouts were interested in them. He befriended them on Facebook, then met them in person. — Sapa