Bob Hewitt found guilty of raping minors by SA court

A South African court has found former Grand Slam doubles champion Bob Hewitt guilty of raping underage girls, although he had denied two charges of rape and a third charge of sexual assault.

The attacks took place in the 1980s and 1990s, when the Australian-born former tennis star, who won nine Grand Slam doubles and six mixed doubles titles in the 1960s and 1970s, was coaching the women, then young girls, in South Africa.

Hewitt's name was removed from the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012, following abuse allegations, the BBC reported.

During the trial, a woman said that Hewitt had told her that rape is enjoyable as he assaulted her, while another victim said that the former tennis star 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, claiming that striking similarities among the three victims' testimonies showed that the ex-Grand Slam champion's conduct was calculated.

The judge also said that time did not erase the crimes, adding that a guilty person should not go unpunished.

Hewitt was remanded in custody following the guilty verdicts, the report added.