Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu [email protected]
A 54-YEAR-OLD Gwanda man has been jailed 17 years for raping his intellectually challenged 16-year-old step daughter.
The accused person from Nhwali 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 17 year jail term.
Prosecuting, Mr Ngonidzashe Shumba said the accused person raped the complainant after she had been left in his custody. The complainant’s young brother found the accused person in the act and alerted a neighbour.
“On 9 May the complainant who is intellectually challenged and her young brother were left under the care of their step father as their mother had travelled to visit a sick relative at a neighbouring district.
“The complainant’s brother later went out of the homestead to play soccer with his friends and left the complainant in the kitchen with the accused person,” he said.
Mr Shumba said the accused person closed the kitchen hut and raped the complainant. He said the complainant’s brother returned home earlier than expected. He heard a noise coming from the kitchen hut and when he opened the door of the kitchen hut he saw the accused person having sexual intercourse with the complainant.
“The complainant’s brother rushed to a neighbour’s homestead where he narrated what he had seen. The neighbour arrived at the homestead to inspect and he found the complainant sitting alone in the kitchen hut and she was crying.
“The neighbour found the accused person in his bedroom hut and confronted him over the allegations but he denied. The matter was reported to the police carried out investigations leading to the arrest of the accused person,” he said.
@DubeMatutu
