Man up for rape of 4-year-old claims insanity

Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter
A Plumtree man who allegedly raped his four-year-old cousin after promising to give her honey claimed that he was insane, just before the magistrate could hand down judgment. Possent Moyo, 35, allegedly raped the girl once and immediately took her to a pond where he smeared mud on the girl’s thighs and bathed her in a bid to cover up the crime.

In mitigation, Moyo, a father of 11 children who has two wives, told regional magistrate Mark Dzira that he was not guilty of raping the girl as he committed the offence during a moment of madness.

“Your Honour I have 11 children, the eldest aged 17 and two wives. I experienced some seizures due to a mental problem I have and raped the girl while I was unaware of what I was doing,” he said.

“I plead with the court to treat me basing on my insanity.”
Magistrate Dzira ordered Moyo to be taken for a psychiatric test before he could deliver judgment on September 19.

Moyo initially told the same court while giving evidence that he only washed the girl as she had come in contact with imbabazane – an itchy plant- and he decided to help her.

The little girl testified that she was raped.
“He called us to the bush to give us honey. He then chased my sister away and took me and took off my panties and pushed me to the ground.
“He took his pencil (penis) and put it on my thing and left some pus on my thighs,” she said.

The State’s case led by Tinashe Dzipe is that on January 29 this year at around 8AM, the girl’s mother left her in the custody of two other children aged six and nine as she was going for a school meeting.

Moyo, who resides in the same village, visited the children at around 1230 PM and took the two girls to a bushy area in Madlambuzi.
There, Moyo chased away the older girl and had unprotected sex with the four year old.

After raping her, he took her to a pond where he bathed her and then took her back home.
At around 4PM the girl’s mother came back and the girl informed her of what had transpired.
Moyo was arrested the next day.