adminEmily Mbewe Court reporter
A BULAWAYO man who allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl on four different occasions declined to go on trial yesterday, saying he had no legal representation as his lawyer Tungamirayi Nyengera is in prison.Stephen Nhengo, 27, of Westgate, appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Sikhumbuzo Nyathi facing four counts of raping his lodger’s daughter.
He was remanded to February, 17.
When Nhengo appeared before the court yesterday, he said he could not let the matter proceed because his lawyer Nyengera of Shenje and Company Legal Practitioners was in custody. Nyengera is in remand prison, facing a charge of forging a warrant of liberation for a convict at Khami Maximum prison.
“The matter cannot kick off today (yesterday) because my lawyer was arrested and l don’t have any legal representation”, said Nhengo.
Prosecuting, Masimba Saruwaka said sometime in June 2014 the girl was playing with her younger sister outside the house when Nhengo called her and claimed he wanted to send her to buy some eggs.
When the victim got to the door he allegedly grabbed her hands and pulled her into the house.
He then tied the girl’s hands to the back and stripped her naked, raped her once before ordering her to leave his room. Saruwaka told the court that during the same year the girl was standing at their premises gate when Nhengo instructed her to bring him some water to drink.
When the girl got closer he grabbed and dragged her into his bedroom where he gagged her mouth with a cloth before raping her.
“A few days later Nhengo called the girl into his room and instructed her to fetch him some vegetables from the garden. While the victim was fetching the vegetables he approached from behind, grabbed her neck and force marched her into his room before raping her,” said Saruwaka.
In July the same year the girl went to visit her relatives at West Acre and narrated the ordeal to her aunt who reported the matter to the police.
Bongani Moyo
Online Reporter