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by Our Sports Desk
A South African judge yesterday sentenced retired doubles tennis champion Bob Hewitt to six years in prison for rape and sexual assault.
Judge Bert Bam sentenced Hewitt to eight years in jail for two counts of rape of minors, with two years suspended. He also sentenced Hewitt to two years in prison for a third charge of sexual assault.
The three sentences will be served at the same time, meaning Hewitt, 75, should spend up to six years in prison, said Bam.
The seriousness of the crimes and the prevalence of sexual violence in South Africa had to be considered, the judge told the courtroom in the country’s capital Pretoria.
The judge cited previous cases in which perpetrators have been sentenced to life for rape, especially when the victims were children.
Australian-born Hewitt has denied the charges. He won 15 Grand Slam doubles and mixed doubles titles at all four Grand Slam events between 1963 and 1979. He was in the International Tennis Hall of Fame but was suspended indefinitely after an investigation.
South Africa does not have a statute of limitations for rape.
