adminFaith Mabuto Midlands Reporter
A Zvishavane stepfather was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment after he was convicted of raping his stepdaughter, 15, at knife point, impregrating her in the process and later forcing her to have an abortion.
The rapist father, who cannot be named to protect his victim but of Chief Mapanzure’s area, Zvishavane, was found guilty of rape by Gweru regional magistrate Morgan Nemadire.
In passing sentence, Nemadire said rapists should be given severe punishment to deter would-be offenders.
He said the stepfather failed to maintain expected moral standards and breached the trust of his stepdaughter.
“What makes it bad is that you breached the trust your stepdaughter had in you and you ended up impregnating her. What you did to her will always affect her,” said Nemadire.
“You raped her on different occasions and she ended up falling pregnant. The court will not find any reason to suspend your sentence and you’re therefore sentenced to 20 years in prison.”
The convict, still defiant, accused his wife of fabricating the matter so the complainant’s biological father could take her away.
“Your worship I don’t know anything about the pregnancy. If I was responsible for the pregnancy how come when we went to the hospital no tests were done on me and she’s accusing me of breaking her virginity yet she didn’t bleed,” he said, implicating himself.
Prosecuting Priscah Kanhukamwe told the court that on August 5 last year, at about 6:30AM the accused was left by his wife in the company of the complainant and her three brothers while she went to attend a family ceremony in Shurugwi.
“Whilst the complainant was sweeping her bedroom hut, the accused entered and fondled her breasts and at the same time proposing love,” Kanhukamwe said.
She said at about 7PM when the complainant had gone to sleep in her hut together with her three brothers, the accused entered the room and slipped into her blankets before whispering that he had come.
“He pulled her skirt to waist level and removed her panties and he got behind the complainant and raped her once in the presence of her brothers,” said Kanhukamwe.
She said during the period between August 5 and October 7 last year the accused raped his stepdaughter several times.
Kanhukamwe said when the mother of the complainant returned from her visit the girl told her what had happened.
The mother did nothing about it until the complainant told a neighbour who then confronted the mother of the victim.
The matter was reported to the police leading to the abuser’s arrest.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter