Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
A COUPLE from Filabusi has appeared in court for allegedly conniving to rape their 17-year-old niece on three separate occasions during her stay at their home resulting in her falling pregnant.
The pair who cannot be named for ethical reasons were supposed to appear before Gwanda regional magistrate, Mr Mark Dzira for trial but the matter was postponed to a date yet to be advised.
This was after the State indicated that the complainant could not make it to court as she was not feeling well.
The woman is facing three counts of being an accomplice to rape while her husband is facing three counts of rape.
According to the State papers, the complainant went to visit her aunt and her husband at their home in Filabusi in August last year during the school holidays.
During her stay, the uncle allegedly raped her on three separate occasions with the assistance of his wife who is the complainant’s aunt.
The complainant did not disclose her ordeal and the matter only came to light in November last year when her grandmother realised that the teen was pregnant.
In August 2018 during the school holidays the complainant visited her aunt and her husband at their homestead in Filabusi. A few days after her arrival accused persons approached her in the spare bedroom where she was sleeping at about midnight. Her aunt then allegedly pleaded with her to have sexual intercourse with her husband and she refused.
The aunt went on to hold her hands while her husband removed her clothes and proceeded to rape her once.
“The accused persons committed the same offence on two other occasions. The complainant’s aunt warned her against reporting the matter to anyone before giving her a cell phone in order to buy her silence,” read the State papers.
It is further alleged that the complainant went back to her home and did not reveal the matter to anyone.
The complainant’s aunt contacted her and once again pleaded with her not to reveal the matter to anyone before sending her $40 on Ecocash.
The matter came to light sometime in November last year when the complainant’s grandmother suspected that the teenager was pregnant.
The old woman questioned her granddaughter who revealed that her uncle had raped her with the assistance of her aunt.
The matter was reported to the police resulting in the arrest of the accused persons.—DubeMatutu.5
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