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Fungai Lupande Court Reporter
A 31-year-old HIV-positive serial rapist was last Tuesday sentenced to 37 years effective for raping three women he sweet talked into accompanying him to Letombo, Greendale, where he stole their money and valuables after raping them. One of the victims fainted in court after Pedzisai Chiringwa’s HIV status was disclosed.
Chiringwa, of number E2117 in Epworth, asked for God’s mercy and forgiveness for sinning and told the court that he appreciated that he did wrong. Chiringwa pleaded not guilty to six counts of rape and robbery, but magistrate Ms Fadzai Mtombeni convicted him after a full trial. He was sentenced to 45 years, but eight of them were suspended for five years on condition he did not commit a similar crime.
The prosecutor Mr Daniel Muchimbiri told the court that on July 11 last year around 5pm, Chiringwa met the first complainant in the city centre and proposed love to her.
He asked the woman to accompany him to Greendale to collect a vehicle from his sister’s house. They went to Letombo water tanks and Chiringwa grabbed the woman from the back and raped her twice. She surrendered US$200 and a cellphone and escaped naked before she was assisted by people gathered at a church.
On August 2 last year, Chiringwa met another woman at VID Eastlea where she was processing her driver’s licence. He lied to her that he worked at the VID and was connected to the manager and lured the woman to accompany him to Greendale where he said the manager resided.
Chiringwa led the woman to Letombo reservoirs where he grabbed her neck and threatened her with a knife. He ordered her to sleep facing upwards while he ransacked her handbag, stealing a cellphone before raping her. On February 16, this year at around 5pm Chiringwa met a woman in the city centre and asked her to accompany him to Greendale to collect his car. He led the woman to Letombo water reservoirs where he stole her cellphone and US$12 before raping her several times.
Online Reporter