Online Reporter
Zvikomborero Parafini
THE two men accused of raping social media star, Mai Jeremaya, were granted bail yesterday after a magistrate ruled that their defence was plausible and left the court convinced they will be available for trial.
Harare regional magistrate, Marewanazvo Gofa, granted bail to Thabo Blessing Dube, 27, and Martin Charlie, 25.
The duo, in their court submissions, have claimed that they hired Mai Jeremaya for sex at a fee.
Magistrate Gofa granted the two US$200 bail and ordered them not to interfere with witnesses, to reside at their given addresses and to report once a week at ZRP Fife Avenue.
The State alleged that on April 9, Dube contacted Mai Jeremaya and invited her for a meeting but they failed to meet on the day in question.
On April 30, the State says she received a Whatsapp message from Charlie, who invited her for a meeting, and they met at Megawatt along Samora Machel Avenue in central Harare.He drove to number 11 Frank Johnson, Eastlea.
Charlie allegedly went into the building, pretending to go and see his boss, and he came back a few minutes later.
He came with a certain lady, called Sbahle, and they got into the car and drove to the Harare CBD.
Sbahle dropped off.
They drove back to Eastlea where he parked at number 15 Frank Johnson Avenue.
The influencer, according to the State, was told to go inside a room where the meeting was supposed to be held.
However, she claims she was shocked to see a bed and, when she turned back, she saw Charlie locking the door.
She claims the two men took turns to rape her.
In its submissions filed on Tuesday, the State justified its consent to bail and said it had no compelling reasons to warrant the pre-trial detention of the two suspects.
Magistrate Gofa initially rejected the consent and questioned why the duo wasn’t also charged with aggravated indecent assault as they are alleged to have forced the complainant to give them blow jobs.
The State agreed that the court raised important issues and submitted that the facts suggest that charges of aggravated indecent assault could have been preferred against the accused.
