Online Reporter
Yeukai Karengezeka-Chisepo
Court Correspondent
A Harare man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to rape a 12-year-old Grade 6 pupil.
Regis Shairai (23) appeared before Harare Regional Magistrate Mrs Learmore Mapiye and was convicted after a full trial.
The court heard that Shairai took advantage of his landlord’s absence to violate the minor on the night in question.
Prosecutor Mr Kelvin Munyimi told the court that on January 10, 2026, at around midnight, the minor fell asleep in the dining room while Shairai and her cousin were playing nearby.
The complainant woke up to find Shairai lying behind her.
To her shock, her underwear had been pulled down to knee level, and Shairai’s trousers were also lowered below his knees.
The complainant said she did not cry out for help as she got terrified. She waited until morning to report the incident to a neighbour, who later informed her aunt.
Shairai was found guilty of taking advantage of the child’s vulnerability and breaching the trust placed in him as an adult in the household.
Mrs Mapiye emphasised the seriousness of the offence and the need for deterrent sentences in such cases.
