Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
A LUPANE man has been arrested for rape and aggravated indecent assault after he allegedly raped his girlfriend’s granddaughter before forcing her to suck his manhood.
The accused who cannot be named to protect the complainant as he was cohabiting with her grandmother when the crimes were committed, is aged 41.
The girl is 10 years old and both resided in Mzola 58 in Lupane.
The accused was not asked to plead to a count of rape and two of aggravated indecent assault when he appeared before Lupane Resident magistrate Mr Ndumo Masuku.
He was remanded in custody to April 20 and advised to apply to the High Court for bail.
Prosecuting, Ms Nobukhosi Moyo said the crimes were committed in April last year.
“On a date not known but in April 2021 the complainant’s grandmother left the girl and her two siblings aged four years old in the custody of the accused as she went to the fields. The accused was sleeping on a bed while the complainant and her siblings were sleeping on the floor.
“He rose from the bed and woke up the complainant before making her lie on the bed where he raped her once and threatened to beat her up if she told anyone about it,” said Ms Moyo.
The court was told that on another day in the same month the accused was outside the homestead when he called on the girl’s grandmother to bring him a burning log to light a cigarette.
The grandmother sent the complaint to give him the burning log.
As the complainant was handing over the burning log to the accused, the court was told, he allegedly fondled her breasts and privates and again threatened to beat her if she told anyone.
On another day the accused was in a bedroom hut when he called the complainant to bring him a burning log to light a cigarette.
Upon taking the burning log to him, the girl found him only wearing an underwear and he allegedly forced her to suck his manhood.
The complainant complied for fear of being assaulted and he ejaculated in her mouth.
He then sent here to call her grandmother from the kitchen.
Sometime in July the girl went to stay with her mother in Mzola 3.
The matter came to light in February this year when she refused to go back to her maternal grandmother’s place and upon being questioned, she revealed what had happened to her.
A report was made to the police leading to the accused’s arrest.
-@ncubeleon
Online Reporter