This article considers whether evidence of sexual grooming influences decisions by South African courts when passing sentence on offenders who have been found guilty of sexual assault or rape of children. By analysing judicial decisions, the article considers three themes – the lack of violence, the apparent consent of a child under 12, and the appropriateness of correctional supervision. The article concludes that evidence of grooming should play a role in sentencing decisions, as it forms part of the nature of the crime that the court is required to consider.

中文翻译：

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从某种意义上说：在判处强奸16岁以下儿童的案件时，法院对性修饰的作用采取不一致的方法。

本文考虑在对被认定有性侵犯或强奸儿童罪犯判刑时，性修饰的证据是否会影响南非法院的判决。通过分析司法判决，本文考虑了三个主题：缺乏暴力，12岁以下儿童的明显同意以及教养监督的适当性。该文章的结论是，修饰的证据应在量刑判决中发挥作用，因为它构成了法院必须考虑的犯罪性质的一部分。