Tendai Gukutikwa
Mutare Bureau
A 66-YEAR-OLD man has been sentenced to an effective 17 years in prison after he was convicted of attempting to rape a nine-year-old schoolgirl.
He lured her with a packet of biscuits as she walked home from school.
Mutare Magistrate Anniah Ndiraya presided over the matter.
Last Goredema prosecuted.
Goredema told the court that the incident happened on September 29, at around 1300hours, when the girl was walking home from school.
Goredema said the man, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the victim, subsequently grabbed the child by the hand and dragged her behind a hedge at a nearby homestead, where he allegedly pushed her to the ground.
“He told the juvenile that he wanted to have sexual intercourse with her because he had given her biscuits,” Goredema said.
When the child began crying, he grabbed her by the throat and choked her in an attempt to silence her.
However, his actions were interrupted when two alert passersby came across the scene and spotted him choking the girl.
Goredema told the court that he then released the victim after realising that he had been seen and attempted to pull up his trousers.
Goredema said villagers gathered at the scene and escorted the traumatised child to her mother, who subsequently reported the matter to the police.
The report led to the man’s arrest and subsequent conviction.
In passing sentence, magistrate Ndiraya condemned the abuse of the child’s vulnerability and emphasised that giving a child food or gifts does not entitle anyone to demand sexual favours.
She also stressed that children must be able to walk home from school without fear of being targeted by adults who exploit their innocence and trust.
