Beverly Bizeki
A teenage rapist from Masvingo on February 15, 2023 escaped a jail term after being pardoned by the court but given a condition that he does not commit a similar offense over the next five years.
The teenager, a 13 year-old boy appeared before magistrate Bishard Chineka where he pleaded guilty to the charges.
Chineka pardoned the accused saying by the time committed the crime, the accused who is now in grade 4 had nothing to do as he had dropped out of school and it was the resultant idleness that led him to committing the crime.
He however said the weight of his offense was heavy in that the victims were both defenseless children whom he physically injured and traumatized.
Chineka also said the accused deserved a heavier punishment as sodomy cases are on the rise in the communities.
The accused pleaded guilty to the three counts of rape and said he did not know what had befallen him to commit these crimes.
Representing the state prosecutor Eunice Shoko told the court that on September 8; 2022 the convicted approached the two victims at their house asking if their mother was around.
He was told the mother had gone to collect some food items.
The accused took advantage of the mother’s absence and sodomized the first victim a 6 year old.
The kid (boy) cried for help to no avail and the accused moved on to his next victim a girl aged 2 whom he raped.
On the same day during the evening, the abused girl told her mother that the convicted boy had visited their place and fondled her.
The mother was then told that the accused had molested both children and the matter was reported to the police leading to the arrest of the boy.
