Online Reporter
Prosper Dembedza
Herald Correspondent
A 26-year-old man from Hopley, Harare has been sentenced to 10 years in jail after he was found guilty of raping his 13-year-old biological sister, twice.
The accused was convicted by Harare regional magistrate Mrs Fadzai Mtombeni after a full trial.
The accused was slapped with 10 years for both counts.
In her ruling, the magistrate said the State led by Mr Blessed Songozo managed to prove a prima facie case against the accused person.
The State proved that on October 8, 2024, the complainant visited the accused at his place of residence soon after finishing writing her Grade 7 exams.
It was alleged that during the first week of November 2024, the complainant was asleep together with her niece and her nephew when the accused entered into the bedroom.
He sat close to them while he was eating sadza. After eating, the accused lifted the complainant’s nephew and niece, who were fast asleep and placed them on the bed.
The accused got inside the complainant’s bed, gagged and raped her.
She did not reveal the matter to anyone since she was being taken care of by the accused and she also feared her aunt.
The following day, the accused repeated the same and the complainant again did not reveal the matter.
The court heard that the matter came to light when the two went to their aunt’s place in Domboshava, where the accused was seen by villagers fondling the complainant without her consent.
It was proved that the matter got into the ears of a health worker, who then approached the minor who divulged her ordeal.
