Cape Town – The South African Police Service (SAPS) embarked on a series of untold stories of its men and women in blue who go beyond the call of duty to protect women, children, and other vulnerable persons.
Today, SAPS introduces 47-year-old Captain Melanie Benham.
She is a forensic social worker attached to Vredenburg Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit in the Western Cape.
Captain Benham joined the SAPS 16 years ago as a forensic social worker with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work.
She later went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Social Work (2018).
As a Social Worker practising Forensic Social Work, Benham follows a forensic investigative process in order to obtain uncontaminated information from a child victim.
She plays the role of an independent fact-finder with a neutral stance and investigates the existence of multiple hypotheses by using legally defensible techniques.
A recent career highlight for Captain Benham includes the sentencing of a 49-year-old stepfather of Vredenburg to 135 years imprisonment by the Vredenburg Regional Court in October this year for multiple charges of sexual abuse; all the sentences will run concurrently.
The accused pleaded guilty to all the charges levelled against him that included rape, sexual grooming, sexual abuse as well as possession, manufacturing, and distribution of child pornography.
He sexually abused his stepdaughter and three of her friends, aged between seven and 12, over nine years.
Benham played an instrumental role in assessing these four victims after one of the victim’s grandmother reported the abuse to the police.
Another career highlight was when a 40-year-old convicted rapist of Darling was sentenced by the High Court in Cape Town to life imprisonment in 2012 for the rape of a 9-year-old girl.
The young victim was brutally raped and strangled before the rapist fled the scene in October 2010.
The accused was under the impression that he had murdered the victim who miraculously crawled to the nearest road where she was discovered by other children.
The girl sustained multiple injuries which affected her speech, eyesight, and her walk.
Captain Benham was assigned to assess the victim and later testified in court on the victim’s ability to recall the incident and the impact thereof on her quality of life.
Besides dealing with brutally attacked children, Captain Benham also assesses sexually abused child victims who are diagnosed with Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders – this occurs when a child is exposed to alcohol before birth.
This is a unique challenge for a forensic social worker who has to ensure the information obtained from these victims is factually accepted in court.
Benham traces victims within 20 policing areas along the West Coast in the Western Cape that include areas, amongst others; Vredenburg, Vredendal, Saldanha, Langebaan, Citrusdal, and Darling.
“Moments away from my family and time spent on the road do not deter me from seeking justice for sexually abused children,” said Captain Benham.
“Some of the victims I assess are brutally raped and left behind to die.
“It is my mission to ensure that I do everything in my power to ensure their stories are told and accepted in a court of law.”
Captain Benham continues to break barriers in her quest to fulfil the mandate of the SAPS in protecting women, children, and vulnerable persons – with pride.
*(Facts compiled by Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk)
