Believe
Mpofu
The Masvingo Magistrates’
Court has slapped a man from Mazongororo Village 3 with an 18-year-long jail
sentence after he pleaded guilty to a charge of raping his five-year-old-daughter.
The rape occurred on
April 29 in the man’s bedroom and the man was sentenced by Magistrate Bishard
Chineka.
It was the State’s case,
as presented by Liberty Hove that the man, who cannot be named to protect the
identity of the child, sexually abused the minor on one occasion.
It was stated that the
accused person approached his mother-in-law who had been taking care of the
minor for the past four years saying he now wanted his child back so that she
could go to school.
The grandmother refused
to hand over the child to the man but he used force to take the child.
On April 29, around 22:00
hours, the accused person was sleeping in the same blankets with his daughter
when he raped her.
The man’s sister, who
slept in the other room and who had heard the complainant screaming the whole
night, alerted other villagers some of whom then took the minor back to her
grandmother.
The grandmother latter
noticed bruises on her grandchild’s vagina and learnt about the abuse after
questioning the minor.
The matter was reported
to the police who attended the scene and discovered some blood strains on the
accused’s bedroom sheets.
The child was referred
to Gutu Rural Hospital where the medical report was filed, confirming that
penetration had indeed happened.
The medical report was
produced in court as an exhibit.
