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Thupeyo Muleya-Beitbridge Bureau
A bid by a 53-year-old Beitbridge-based cross-border transporter to stop his trial for sexually abusing his daughter for over three years hit a snug yesterday after a local regional magistrate dismissed his application for discharge.
The accused, who is alleged to have started raping the teenager in August 2020, when she was aged 13 until she fell pregnant at the age of 16 last year, wanted the case dismissed before trial.
However, Beitbridge Regional Magistrate Mr Innocent Bepura ruled that the man had a case to answer and the case went straight to the defence case.
The matter was later postponed to January 22 for continuation of the trial.
Through his lawyer, Mr Muchineripi Nhire, the cross-border transporter is denying the charges of rape.
The man is accused of raping his daughter from a previous marriage and colluding with his new wife to illegally abort the pregnancy in December last year.
The 47-year-old stepmother has already been jailed for four years by a local magistrate for causing the illegal abortion.
Prosecuting, Miss Tsitsi Mutukwa said some time in August 2020, the accused arrived home at night and found the complainant who was 13 years old by then in the company of her stepmother and other children.
Later that evening when everyone retired to bed, he remained with the complainant who was busy with some school holiday work.
He then started to help her with schoolwork and then raped her.
After which he told her to go and sleep.
The man tried to rape the girl again in her bedroom in October 2022, but failed after finding her sleeping with her elder sister.
The court further heard that the accused also raped the complainant in September 2023, after creeping on her when she fell asleep while watching television.
Later that month the complainant missed her menstrual period and realised she was pregnant and she later revealed the matter to a church leader in November, who reported to the police.
According to the State papers, on December 3 last year, the stepmother discovered the pregnancy and asked the complainant about its paternity.
The teenager narrated her ordeal and the stepmother bought some medication to terminate the pregnancy as a way of concealing the offence.
After this, the stepmother instructed the complainant to insert the tablets in her genitals in order to terminate the pregnancy.
The teenager administered the medication as instructed and after some hours she felt some abdominal pains.
The issue came to light when one of her friends got information about the incident and advised the religious leader and the matter was then reported to the police.
She was taken to Beitbridge District Hospital for medical attention where it was discovered the pregnancy had been terminated.
The couple was arrested and the medication used in the illegal abortion was recovered from their house.
Online Reporter