Bob Hewitt, the retired doubles tennis champion from Australia, has been sentenced to six years in prison for the rape and sexual assault of three minors perpetrated in the 1980s and '90s.
According to Sky News, Hewitt, 75, was sentenced to eight years in prison for two counts of rape, and two years for a third charge of sexual assault. Two years are suspended, and the sentences will be served concurrently.
"I have never had to beg before but I am asking you from the bottom of my heart to please let my husband return to the farm as I could not survive without him," Delaille Hewitt, Bob's wife, told South African Judge Bert Bam before the sentencing.
Hewitt pleaded not guilty to claims, but was found guilty after his now-adult victims testified against him.
The BBC reported that one of the victims who testified was 12 years old when he assaulted her.
The stories of all three victims were similar, and made clear he used his position as their coach to gain their trust before assaulting them.
Judge Bam criticized Hewitt for showing no remorse during the trial or sentencing, and said that if Hewitt was 50 when he was convicted his prison sentence would have been closer to 20 years.
Hewitt has also been fined $8,500, and his name was nixed from the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012 over the allegations.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.