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Mashudu Netsianda Senior Court Reporter
A 65-YEAR-OLD man who used his residence as a boarding house for pupils attending Girls College in Bulawayo has been jailed for 20 years for a string of sex attacks on a girl, 16.
Neil Leach, of Suburbs, had turned his house – a stone’s throw from the school – into a private boarding house, accommodating four girls.
But the Bulawayo Magistrates’ Court was yesterday told that Leach was a predatory sex fiend who had betrayed the trust of his victim, a Form 4 pupil, and her parents.
Leach, the court heard, on several occasions inserted his fingers in the girl’s privates and would also force her to perform sickening sex acts on him with her mouth.
Bulawayo regional magistrate Mark Dzira told Leach: “The community expected better of you.”
Leach had denied the sex attacks, claiming he had been framed by the victim, a Zambian national. He claimed her real intention was to leave the private boarding house and move in with her boyfriend in the city.
But Dzira found him guilty on three counts of aggravated indecent assault as he jailed him for 25 years. Five years of the sentence were conditionally suspended.
The magistrate told Leach: “You betrayed the trust bestowed on you by the victim’s parents and the community when you abused the victim who looked up to you for protection.
“The girl was under your care, which effectively means there was supposed to be that protective relationship between you and her in the absence of her parents who live in Zambia.”
Prosecuting, Goodluck Katenaire said sometime in February last year, the victim was having lunch in the kitchen at the boarding house when Leach approached her.
“Leach dragged the victim to his bedroom and when she tried to resist, he assaulted her once on the neck forcing her into his room,” Katenaire said.
“While inside, Leach locked the door before he forcibly undressed the girl and thrust his fingers into her private parts.”
The court heard that Leach further ordered the girl to touch his privates before releasing her.
In March, he found the girl having lunch and dragged her to his bedroom and ordered her to suck his manhood as he thrust his fingers into the victim’s genitals.
The court heard that a week later, Leach found the girl having lunch and pushed her to the floor and ordered her to suck his privates.
During the school holiday, the victim visited her parents in Zambia and narrated her ordeal.
Police put a stop to the abuse in May last year after the victim’s father travelled from Zambia to file a complaint.
The magistrate noted that all the sex attacks took place on Mondays when the victim was usually alone. Leach had executed the abuse with “precision”, he said.
“Although you have done much for the community, that has been overshadowed by the crime that you committed. It appears this was a plan which you executed with precision because you knew the victim would come home for lunch on Mondays alone and decided to pounce on her,” Dzira said.
“Surely, at the age of 65, the community expected better of you. A long prison term is therefore called for given these circumstances. Cases of child abuse are on the increase and occurring at an alarming rate hence a deterrent sentence is most appropriate.
“Our society does not need people like you and you are therefore sentenced to an effective 20 years in jail.”
In his defence, led by his lawyer, Thandaza Masiye Moyo, Leach claimed the victim “fabricated the story to justify her moving out of the boarding house to stay with her boyfriend”.
Moyo added: “She alleges in her evidence that she was sexually abused by Leach in February and March. What boggles the mind is that she failed to report at the earliest possible time given that she was in constant touch with her parents in Zambia. She communicated with her mother daily through e-mail and WhatsApp.
“It would have been impossible to abuse the victim at lunch time or any other day to perpetrate the crime without being noticed. The gardener and a maid were always at home during the day.”
Online Reporter