Justice served: Teacher receives life sentence for classroom rape

A TEACHER has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a learner in class during school hours.

- ROBIN-LEE FRANCKE

Jeremy Claasen, 38, was convicted in the Worcester Regional Court for the rape of the Grade 8 learner.

State Prosecutor Cornelius Prinsloo revealed to the court that Claasen was the girl's Life Orientation teacher, and he started chatting to her on social media platforms when she joined the school. The court heard the teacher built a relationship of trust and won the child's affection to the point where she felt comfortable around him.

On February 7, 2020, the learner went to charge her phone in the teacher's classroom. The teacher closed the door and told her to sit on a bench. The court heard Claasen made advances towards his learner and then raped her in the classroom.

Three days later, she told a close friend, who told a teacher, and the teacher reported this to the principal, who involved the police and ultimately arrested Claasen.