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Courtney Matende Midlands Reporter
A 46-year-old Gweru man was last week sentenced to an effective 15 years behind bars for indecently assaulting and sexually abusing his 14-year-old daughter.
He pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecent assault and two of sexual abuse when he appeared before Gweru regional magistrate Mrs Pathekile Msipa.
He was, however, convicted after a full trial due to overwhelming evidence.
The abusive father was initially jailed for 20 years before five years were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
It was the State case that in 2015, the complainant was left under the care of the father by her mother.
The court heard that the complainant slept in the same room with the father but using different blankets.
The father later got out of his blankets and sneaked into his daughter’s and started fondling her buttocks and breasts before raping her.
Sometime in 2017, the convict was caught red-handed fondling and caressing the complainant while holding a condom in his hand.
In February 2018, the father also went into a bush to fetch firewood together with the complainant.
While in the bush, the father tripped the complainant and again raped her.
The complainant later told her mother about the abuse and the matter was reported to the police leading to the abusive father’s arrest.
Meanwhile, a Zimbabwe Republic Police constable yesterday morning raped and fatally stabbed his stepdaughter 15 times with a scissors at their home in Eastlea, Harare, writes Freeman Razemba.
The cop, whose name is still being withheld, has since gone into hiding and police have launched a manhunt for him.
The incident occurred around 10am at a flat owned by the ZRP.
Sources close to the investigations said the stepdaughter was doing Upper Six at a school in the city.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi yesterday confirmed the incident.
“We can confirm that we are investigating the death of a 19-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and stabbed 15 times by her stepfather today (yesterday) in Eastlea. The man is currently on the run.
“We have stepped up our investigations with a view to arresting the suspect. The suspect is a member of the ZRP who was also married to another officer,” he said.
Asst Comm Nyathi said the mother was at work when the incident occurred.
“We are also investigating to find out from those who were close to the couple on what was transpiring between them,” he said. When The Herald visited the police flats yesterday, relatives and several junior and senior police officers were paying their condolences to the mother.
Most of them expressed shock over the incident.
Investigations carried out revealed that the officer was also being wanted by his superiors after he had gone AWOL.
It was still not clear if he was stiil living at the flat or not.
Online Reporter