adminAuxilia Katongomara Chronicle Reporter
A MAN who raped his nine-year-old niece has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
Cliaf Nkomo, 22, of Sizinda in Bulawayo, pleaded guilty to three counts of rape when he appeared before regional magistrate Abednico Ndebele.
Nkomo began the sex attacks on his niece — a Grade 4 pupil — in 2013. On the first count, Paidamoyo Zengeni, for the State, told the court that he called his niece into the spare bedroom and ordered her to climb onto the bed but the minor refused. He threatened to kill her before raping her.
On the second count, Zengeni told the court that there was a crusade near Nkomo’s home which was attended by all family members except Nkomo and his niece, who was not feeling well.
“During the night, Nkomo went into his niece’s bedroom, woke her up and raped her once despite the minor girl having told him that it was painful,” Zengeni told the court.
The court heard that again sometime in 2013, Nkomo called his niece to his room but she refused and closed the door.
“Nkomo met his niece in the lounge and ordered her to go to her grandmother’s bedroom where he raped her once,” said Zengeni.
A medical report was produced in court proving that the girl had been violated.
Nkomo said he had been in South Africa and only came back two months ago to pay “damages” for his fiancé, with whom he has a three-month-old baby.
In sentencing Nkomo, magistrate Ndebele took into account that he had apologised to the court and his sister but said abuse of minors cannot be condoned.
“In coming up with a sentence, the court has taken into consideration that you pleaded guilty and didn’t waste the court’s time. However, there’re aggravating circumstances. You’re 22, she was nine-years-old, she’s seen as a baby and you ravaged her not once, not twice but thrice,” the magistrate told Nkomo.
“She pleaded with you that it was painful, but you went ahead with abusing her.”
Nkomo said he could not overcome temptation to commit the crime.
Ndebele sentenced Nkomo to 18 years’ imprisonment of which three years were conditionally suspended.
“You can’t be sent for community service, you can’t be sentenced to pay a fine because she’s a minor who can’t consent,” added Ndebele.
Nkomo will be back in court tomorrow facing aggravated indecent assault charges after he allegedly sodomised his seven-year-old nephew.
Online Reporter