In brief
Thabo Bester, a convicted South African rapist known as the 'Facebook rapist,' lost his legal battle to prevent Netflix from airing a documentary about his life, including his alleged escape from prison. The court ruled that the case was of significant public interest and did not find his claims of defamation compelling. Bester's partner, Nandipha Magudumana, who allegedly assisted his escape, is also featured in the documentary.
Convicted South African rapist Thabo Bester has lost a court bid to block Netflix from broadcasting a documentary about his life - including how he allegedly faked his death and escaped from prison.
His lawyers argued that the documentary, titled Beauty and the Bester, was defamatory, but the streaming giant defended its plan to release the three-part investigation.
Bester's partner, celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana, features in the documentary, having allegedly helped him escape. She was part of the court bid to halt the release.
In a court ruling on Friday, a judge stated that the rape case was firmly in public domain and acknowledged that they had failed to prove their petition was urgent.
Bester was convicted in 2012 for the rape and murder of his model girlfriend Nomfundo Tyhulu and found guilty a year earlier for raping and robbing two other women. He became infamously known as the 'Facebook rapist' for using social media to lure his victims.
While serving a life sentence, Bester allegedly escaped from a maximum security prison in 2022, reigniting media and public interest in his chilling case.
