By Ndinatsei Mavodza
MASVINGO – Age saved a 13-year-old boy has from custodial sentence after being
convicted of six counts of aggravated indecent assault involving minor boys. He pleaded
guilty to all charges.
The teenager appeared before Masvingo Regional Magistrate Innocent Bepura on March 23,
2026 facing six counts of aggravated indecent assault involving boys under the age of
eighteen.
The court heard that the offenses occurred between July 2025 and September 2025 on school
grounds. According to court records, the acts amounted to anal sexual intercourse.
Magistrate Bepura sentenced him to six years in prison but suspended the sentence on
condition that he commits no crime of a sexual nature in the next five years. He further stated
that it was only because of the offender’s young age that the court had spared him from
immediate imprisonment.
The defence lawyer had asked for leniency, arguing that his client was still young and in
Form Two. He further noted that the teenager had attributed his conduct to his tender age,
stating that he was an “inexperienced juvenile who acted out of youthful exuberance.”
The court also heard that the boy had since received intensive counselling from a Child
Protection Officer. His father, who serves in the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional
Services, had been actively involved in the rehabilitation process.
It was also noted that outside the court, the teenager now faces discrimination from
classmates and the wider community, with some labelling him using derogatory terms.
In Zimbabwe, aggravated indecent assault is a serious offence under the Criminal Law
(Codification and Reform) Act. Across the country, a number of cases of adults in positions
of authority abusing children have been recorded, but cases involving a juvenile offender are
less common.
Child protection experts note that such cases require a different approach than adult cases, as
juvenile offenders themselves are often influenced by their environment and circumstances.
Under Zimbabwe’s Constitution in Section 81, it is noted that children under eighteen shall
not be detained except as a measure of last resort. As such, this principle prioritises
rehabilitation over punishment for juvenile offenders where possible.
The Children’s Act further provides that when deciding on appropriate outcomes for juvenile offenders
