Convicted rapist Nicholas Ninow has lost an application to petition a higher court to appeal both his conviction and sentence.

Last year, Ninow was sentenced to life in prison for raping a then seven-year-old girl at a restaurant in Pretoria in 2018.

While he confessed to the crime he denied having planned it saying she walked in on him in the bathroom where he was taking drugs.

During the trial, the High Court found that Ninow had misled the court and heard witnesses who testified that he had stalked the girl in the playground for some time and followed her into the restaurant toilet.

Dismissing his application for leave to appeal on Tuesday, Judge Mokhine Mosopa ruled that there was no reasonable prospect of a successful appeal adding that he did not believe another court would reach a different finding.

Citing how Ninow had fought with people who had tried to rescue the child at the time, and also how he had tried to dispose of evidence by flushing it down the toilet, Judge Mosopa reiterated that Ninow knew what he was doing and committed the crime willingly.

The 21-year-old was also sentenced to an additional 10 years for drug possession and defeating the ends of justice. He will only be eligible for parole after 25 years.