Online Reporter
Ronald Mpofu, [email protected]
A 31-year-old man from Village 12 in Dombodema has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after raping and impregnating his 15-year-old niece.
The man, whose identity has been withheld to protect the victim, pleaded guilty when he appeared before Plumtree Magistrate Mrs Dambudzo Malunga.
Prosecutor Mr Selestino Madziva told the court that the offence occurred in January this year while the accused was living in the same homestead as the complainant and her siblings.
According to court proceedings, the accused had earlier approached the teenager and told her that he wanted to
“teach her something”, although he did not explain what he meant.
On the night of the incident, the complainant was asleep in a bedroom she shared with her sibling.
At about 10pm, the accused entered the room through a window before making his way to where the girl was sleeping.
The court heard that he shone a torch directly into her face to wake her up.
It was further revealed that the accused was naked when he entered the room.
When the teenager attempted to alert her sibling, the accused allegedly grabbed her and strangled her to prevent her from screaming for help.
He then raped her.
Following the attack, the accused threatened the complainant, telling her he would kill himself if she disclosed the incident to anyone.
Fearing the consequences of the threat, the teenager initially remained silent about the abuse.
The matter only came to light after she discovered that she was pregnant.
The case was subsequently reported to the police, leading to the arrest of the accused.
In passing sentence, Magistrate Malunga described the offence as particularly serious, noting that the victim was a child and that the perpetrator was a close relative who had a duty to protect and care for her rather than subject her to abuse.
The accused was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.
