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The boy was on Friday convicted of two counts of rape, one of indecent assault and another one of assault when he appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Godwin Sengweni.
He committed the offences in November last year against his nine-year-old cousin from the same suburb. The little girl was doing Grade Four.
Sentencing the boy, the magistrate said he sounded arrogant and unrepentant during the trial.
Mr Sengweni said the boy’s behaviour showed that he lacked parental guidance as his parents took him out of school.
The juvenile told the court that he dropped out of school while doing Form One on his parents’ suggestion because they wanted him to do a course in motor mechanics.
He denied ever committing the offences saying they were not staying together with the complainant although she would visit his family sometimes.
Mr Goodluck Katenaire, for the State, told the court that on 18 November at about 1pm, the complainant was cleaning the house when the boy arrived and started accusing her of eating ice creams alone without giving him some.
The juvenile then locked the gate and doors before dragging the young girl to the spare bedroom where he raped her once.
On 26 November at about 12noon, the boy was in the spare bedroom and he invited the girl to the room where he pushed her onto the bed and raped her once.
The following day at about 10am, the girl was cleaning the house when the juvenile dragged her to the spare bedroom and lay on top of her upon which he started making movements.
The offences came to light on 28 November when the little girl reported the matter to an elder sister after the boy had assaulted her.
In a related matter, a 16-year-old high school pupil from Luveve suburb was sentenced to receive six strokes for raping and indecently assaulting his nine-year-old cousin who ironically attends the same school with the one who was abused in Cowdray Park.
The juvenile pleaded guilty to four counts of rape and one of indecent assault he committed in February this year, where he would invite the girl to his parents’ house.
He told the court he was not aware he was committing an offence.
In addition to the strokes, the boy was sentenced to five years in prison which were wholly suspended on condition he does not commit similar offences within five years.
In another matter, a 22-year-old man from Nkulumane 5 suburb was convicted of rape and sentenced to 18 years in prison, of which three years were conditionally suspended.
This was after he raped his neighbour’s nine-year-old daughter in February.
Online Reporter