Guard rapes patient in hospital ward

Court Reporter
A SECURITY guard has been dragged to court for allegedly raping a mentally-ill woman admitted at Parirenyatwa Hospital after she had rebuffed his love proposal.
Patrick Malunga (25) last week appeared in court to answer to charges of rape and aggravated indecent assault.
He was not formally charged when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Don Ndirowei who remanded him in custody to February 25.
The accused was advised to apply for bail at the High Court since he is facing a third schedule offence and the Magistrates’ Courts cannot therefore grant him freedom before trial.
Malunga, however, asked the court why he should have to go to the High Court, to which he was again advised on the court procedures.
Malunga is employed by a local security firm and had been deployed to Parirenyatwa’s Annexe Hospital.
The complainant is a mental patient who is staying at the institution under compulsory admission as of January 7 this year.
Prosecutor Ms Svodai Kadivirire alleges that on January 13 this year, Malunga was on duty at Annexe and he approached the complainant in the ward in which she was admitted. It is alleged that the guard proposed love to the complainant and when she turned him down, the State says he fondled her breasts and inserted his fingers into her private parts.
The prosecution further alleges that the following day, Malunga again approached the woman who was now sleeping in a different cubicle, but in the same ward.
Malunga, it is alleged, fondled her breasts until she woke up.
It is alleged that he lifted her from the bed and placed her underneath it.
He also went under the bed and raped her once after which he left her lying on the floor, the court was told.
The woman told hospital officials what had happened and they in turn made a police report leading to Malunga’s arrest.