Quaking bed sound gives away rapist

 

Ray Bande
Senior Reporter

THE quaking sound of the bed gave away a teenage co-tenant who was raping an eight-year-old girl at their rented house in Nyangani Park in Nyanga town.

The teenager (15) whose name could not be divulged because of his age, was sentenced to five years in jail, which were wholly suspended for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence.

He appeared before Mutare regional magistrate, Mrs Phathekile Msipa who was on circuit in Nyanga, facing rape charges as defined in Section 65 (1) as read Section 64 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23.

Prosecutor, Mr Last Goredema told the court that on October 28, 2024, at a house in Nyangani Park, Nyanga, the convict unlawfully and intentionally slept with a girl aged eight.

Mr Goredema said during that fateful evening, the convict entered into the complainant’s room and raped the complainant.

The court heard that the noise of the bed awakened another tenant, Praise Nyahanana, who told the accused to go away and he complied.

The next day, at around 6am, Nyahanana told the girl’s mother, Everjoy Masaya what the accused person had done the previous night.

Masaya took the complainant to ZRP Nyanga to make a report. The complainant was referred to Nyanga District Hospital for medical examination, which was produced in court as an exhibit.

In another rape case involving a teenager, a boy (15) from Mutetwa Village under Chief Saunyama, got away with a wholly suspended five-year jail term for raping a two-year-old neighbour’s baby.

The teenager was also convicted and sentenced by Mrs Msipa. Mr Goredema said on November 9, 2024, at around 4pm, the complainant was left by her mother under the care of her father, who was sleeping in the house.

The court heard that the teenager approached the complainant while playing alone and took her to his parents’ homestead.

He took advantage of his grandmother’s absence, and raped the infant in the house.

The matter came to light on November 11, around 7am when the baby was crying while urinating.

 

Her father asked her what had happened, and she indicated that her private parts were painful. It later emerged that the teenager had sexually abused her.

The matter was reported to the police at Nyamaropa, who attended the scene and arrested the teenager.

 

The complainant was taken to Nyanga District Hospital, where she was medically examined, and it was confirmed that she had been abused.

The medical report was produced in court as an exhibit. The teenager pleaded not guilty to the rape charge.