A tennis legend has been convicted on charges of rape after taking advantage of some of the students he used to coach. Australian-born Bob Hewitt was found guilty of the crimes by a South African court earlier this week at the conclusion of his trial.
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According to BBC News, Hewitt was a Grand Slam champion in doubles during his playing career, and he won nine Grand Slam doubles championships and six mixed doubles championships during his heyday in the 1960s and 1970s.
Following his playing career, Hewitt went into coaching in order to stay involved in the sport and help the players in younger generations. Apparently he took advantage of the girls that he coached however, leading to the rape charges, which stemmed from incidents in the 1980s and 1990s that took place in South Africa.
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Hewitt, who is 75 now, pled not guilty to the charges. His name was also removed from the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012 after the abuse allegations were made public.
According to the BBC report:
"During the trial, one woman said Hewitt had told her "rape is enjoyable" as he assaulted her.
Another victim said he had touched her inappropriately and forced her to perform a sex act on him when she was 12 and 13.
Judge Bert Bam told the High Court sitting in Johannesburg that the evidence against Hewitt was overwhelming and consistent."
It was determined that Hewitt had planned the incidents based on the similarities between testimonies from the victims.
"Time did not erase the crimes. A guilty person should not go unpunished," added the judge.
Hewitt was taken into custody following the guilty verdict.
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