By Bright Zhou
A Masvingo man who resides in Rujeko B, is alleged to have promised food to a 20-year-old mentally challenged woman who lives next door to lure her to his house before raping her.
The accused appeared before Masvingo regional magistrate Bishard Chineka on April 29, 2024 facing rape charges and was remanded in custody for continuation of trial on May 13, 2024.
The state heard that on April 26, 2024 the accused person (name withheld for ethical reasons) was on his way home from Rujeko B shops when he met the 20-year-old complainant who happens to be his neighbor together with her younger sister who asked him for money to buy snacks.
The accused told the victim that he had no money with him but had some at home after which the complainant agreed to go with him to his place where they found no one at home.
The accused gave the complainant’s young sister money for snacks and told her to buy at Rujeko B shops while her sister remained behind with him. He allegedly assured his victim that he was going to provide her with everything she wanted including money and food.
Afterwards, he told her to get inside the house and asked if she was hungry and the complainant requested for drinking water. The accused then told her to sit in the dining room and watch television.
He then went into his bedroom and reportedly returned to the dining room naked, suddenly grabbed the complainant, closed her mouth with his hands and forcibly removed her clothes after which he dragged her into the bedroom.
He proceeded to rape the complainant, threatening to kill her if she disclosed the matter to anyone before ordering her to leave his house.
Before the complainant came out of the house, her younger sister came back found her naked and crying, after which she explained her ordeal to her and the accused person threatened to beat both of them if they remained at his house.
The girls’ father heard the noise and peeped through the perimeter wall where he saw his daughter naked. He asked her why she was naked and she failed to answer until her younger sister told him that she had been raped.
The accused denied that he had raped her and told the father that he just gave her water to drink and money to buy snacks.
The complainant was taken to hospital where the tests revealed that she had been raped. The father then reported the incident to the police after which accused was arrested.
