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Trish Mukwazo
Bulawayo Bureau
A BULAWAYO man was yesterday sentenced to 60 years in jail for raping and impregnating his 15-year-old stepdaughter.
The man from Mahatshula, who cannot be named to protect the girl’s identity, was convicted of three counts of rape by Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Matthew Mutiro.
He was sentenced to 20 years for each count. The sentences will, however, run concurrently.
In passing the sentence, Mr Mutiro said the accused betrayed the trust bestowed on him by his wife who left the teenage girl in his custody each time she left home.
“From the evidence that the complainant gave in court, it is clear that the victim, who had to abort, was traumatised,” said Mr Mutiro.
The prosecutor Mr Jethro Mada said the man started raping his stepdaughter in 2022 after his wife, the mother of the girl, went to attend a funeral in Nkayi.
On the first day, the accused arrived home drunk and entered the victim’s bedroom while her young sister was playing outside with other children. He then raped her.
The court heard that at one time, the accused raped the complainant and gave her US$1 to buy her silence.
The court heard that the accused continued raping the victim each time her mother was not around. The last time he raped her was on August 1 last year when her mother had gone to attend a funeral in Nkulumane suburb.
The matter came to light on August 24 when the complainant’s mother got suspicious after noticing unusual body developments on her daughter.
She then asked a neighbour, who is a nurse, to examine the girl and it was confirmed that she was three months pregnant.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter