Serial rapist Lechasa Glass jailed indefinitely after DNA links him to 16 cases

A Lesotho national already serving multiple life terms has been sentenced to imprisonment for an indefinite period after DNA linked him to further rapes committed in the Eastern Cape.

Sentence follows new DNA links while behind bars

Lechasa Glass, 32, was declared a dangerous criminal and ordered to serve an indefinite prison term after forensic evidence connected him to additional sexual offences while he was incarcerated. The court ordered that Glass be brought back for reconsideration of his sentence after the expiry of 23 years from 4 June 2026.

Earlier convictions and existing imprisonment

Glass was already serving multiple long terms following a conviction on 24 counts on 24 May 2024, which included multiple rapes, robberies with aggravated circumstances and a robbery committed against women and children in the Addo and Joubertina areas between 2015 and 2022. Those earlier sentences included six life sentences plus multiple fixed terms.

New convictions in 2026

Further DNA analysis while Glass was incarcerated linked him to three additional dockets, bringing the total number of cases tied to him by DNA to 16. On 14 April 2026 he was convicted on six counts arising from three separate incidents.

Details of the three cases

According to the court record:

• On 17 April 2022, at about 4.45am in Addo, a 16-year-old girl was grabbed at knifepoint outside her home, dragged to a nearby yard and raped without a condom.
• In February 2019 in Joubertina, a 13-year-old girl and her younger cousins, aged 10 and 12, were threatened with a knife while walking home. The 13-year-old was raped without a condom and a backpack was stolen.
• On 30 December 2018 in Joubertina, a 23-year-old woman and her 14-year-old brother were confronted. Glass assaulted the brother with a stick, robbed them and raped the woman twice without a condom.

Psychiatric observation and court findings

The court ordered that Glass be sent to Fort England Hospital for psychiatric observation after reports of abnormal behaviour during the commission of the crimes. The psychiatric report submitted to the court found that Glass was mentally fit, committed the offences intentionally and showed no remorse. On that basis the court declared him a dangerous criminal.

Police praise investigators and DNA work

Eastern Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Vuyisile Ncata praised the investigators whose work and use of DNA technology were instrumental in linking Glass to the additional cases and securing convictions. He singled out Detective Warrant Officer Sonwabile Dlomo and Detective Sergeant Vuyokazi Bayi for their roles in the investigation.

“We commend the investigating team, the NPA, and the judiciary for ensuring that a dangerous predator has been removed from society indefinitely. We hope this brings closure to the many survivors and their families,” Lieutenant General Ncata said.

The convictions and sentence remove Glass from the community for an indeterminate period, with a statutory mechanism for judicial review after the specified 23-year period.