adminWalter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
A 37-year-old Masvingo divorcee left the court gallery in stitches when he said he raped and infected his 11-year-old niece with a sexually transmitted disease, because he was sexually starved.
The man (name withheld to protect the girl), from Mwenezi’s Chief Maranda area, was sentenced to an effective 17 years in jail after two years were suspended on condition of good behaviour by Masvingo regional magistrate Colet Ncube.
He was found guilty of raping his niece who had accompanied him to buy chicken from a neighbouring home.
The man was convicted on his plea of guilty when he appeared before Ncube yesterday.
In passing judgment, Ncube said the accused was inconsiderate and betrayed the trust invested on him by the minor’s grandmother who had asked the girl to accompany him.
“The grandmother asked the girl to accompany you in good faith but you irresponsibly betrayed that trust. You also knew that you were infected with an STI but you let loose your manhood on an innocent minor who also looked up to you for protection. You deserve a stiff sentence to send a clear message to would be offenders,” said Ncube.
In mitigation the man said he raped the girl to quench his sexual desire since he had gone for a long time without having sex, following his divorce.
“I committed this offence because of the sexual hunger that I had. I had long divorced my wife of five years and on the day I was tempted. The urge for sexual gratification was just overwhelming,” he said much to the laughter of the gallery.
Prosecutors said last week the girl woke up showing signs that she was not well and had difficulty in walking. Her grandmother asked the girl what had happened and she revealed that she was raped by the man on the day she accompanied him to buy chicken.
A report was made to the police leading to the man’s arrest.
The girl was taken to a clinic where it was discovered that she was infected with an STI.
derick.khumalo