Elliot Jinjika
CHIVHU – A 55-year-old neighbourhood watch officer, Clopas Sigudu of Gwerevende village under Chief Nyoka, was last week sentenced to 10 years in jail for raping his 16-year-old neighbour.
Sigudu was given the lengthy prison sentence by the Chivhu Magistrates Court led by Fadzai Mutombeni.
The State, led by prosecutor Nicholas Mabvongodze, charged that on a period between December 1 and 31, 2016, the juvenile was asleep when Sigudu burgled through the locked door of her bedroom.
After gaining entry, he ordered the girl to keep quiet, massaged her before raping her once.
Sigundu went on to threaten the girl not to disclose anything to anyone, threatening that the price of divulging the matter would be death and also gave her a dollar as payment for abusing the girl.
However, on the May 31 this year, things turned nasty for the rapist after the girl divulged the sexual abuse to her grandmother.
This was after the girl had experienced stomach pains which she suspected to be as a result of the abuse. A report was made to the police leading to the arrest of Sigudu.
The court also heard that Sigudu had for long pampered the girl with goodies and money to spend at school as his way of getting closer to her.
He had also became jealousy and protective of the girl and would harass the girl’s male school mates that he found in the girl’s company.local
