shloboe boe
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
A 54-year-old Gwanda man has been sentenced to 15 years in jail for raping his 15-year-old stepdaughter.
The accused person from Mapate Village, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, pleaded not guilty to rape but was convicted due to overwhelming evidence by Gwanda regional magistrate, Ms Sithembiso Ndebele.
He was sentenced to an effective 15-year jail term. Prosecuting, Mr Ngonidzashe Shumba said the accused person raped the complainant on several occasions during her mother’s absence.
“On a date unknown but during the month of May, the complainant and her younger sister had been left under the care of her stepfather while her mother had gone to a family event.
“A day after the complainant’s mother had left, the accused person summoned her into his bedroom and told her that he wanted her to clean up,” said Shumba.
“The complainant started cleaning in the bedroom and the accused person ordered her to lie on the bed and remove her skirt and underwear. The complainant refused and the accused person grabbed her and raped her. He threatened to kill the complainant if she revealed the matter to anyone.”
Mr Shumba said the complainant left the bedroom and narrated what had transpired to her friend, who is a neighbour. He said the friend further reported the matter to her mother, who questioned the complainant, but she refused to disclose what happened out of fear of being attacked by the accused person. “When the complainant’s mother had returned, her neighbour revealed what her daughter had told her. The mother repeatedly questioned the complainant, who then revealed what the accused person had done to her.
“The matter was reported to the police, leading to the arrest of the accused person,” he said.
In passing her sentence, Ms Ndebele said that while the accused person had denied the allegations, evidence presented before the court had proven that the accused person had committed the offence.
She said what was aggravating is that the accused person was expected to assume a fatherly role to the complainant and protect her instead of harming her. Ms Ndebele said the complainant’s mother had left her children under the custody of the accused person, which meant that she trusted him.
“A deterrent sentence is needed for like-minded people who sexually violate little children. You are a danger to society and therefore you need to be rehabilitated so that you can have a change of mindset,” she said.
In his defence, the accused person denied having raped the complainant, saying he viewed the complainant as his own daughter and would never hurt her.
He said the complainant’s mother had fabricated the allegations after they had argued. —@DubeMatutu
Online Reporter