admin
Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter
A BULAWAYO woman who turned her 14-year-old maid into a sex slave will spend the next four years in prison.
Magistrate Gladmore Mushove yesterday found Esther Precious Moyo, 23, of Magwegwe North, guilty of forcing the teenager – who had arrived in Bulawayo from Bubi seeking employment – into prostitution.
The magistrate said evil Moyo, who admitted in court she was a prostitute, had “taken advantage of the 14-year-old girl’s misfortune” to carry out the abuse.
The magistrate jailed Moyo for five years, but suspended one year conditionally.
Mushove said three witnesses who testified against Moyo were “credible”. Moyo – who has a nine-month-old baby – had wasted the court’s time denying the allegations, the magistrate added.
“In assessment of the sentence, the court considered that she is a first female offender with three minor children.”
Mushove said Moyo had abused the girl by forcing her to have sex with several men, exposing her girl to HIV/Aids.
A medical report submitted to the court showed that during her forced sexual encounters with numerous men, the victim had suffered several injuries on her hymen, which was torn.
The report, however, showed that the girl was HIV negative pending further tests after three months.
Prosecuting, Tarisai Mutarisi said between January 18 and February 2 this year, Moyo took the girl to brothels, night clubs, bars and lodges around Bulawayo.
After taking money from several men, she forced her to engage in sexual activities with them and threatened to assault her if she resisted.
The girl, who had not started her menstrual cycle, started bleeding after Moyo forced her to sleep with a much older man at a city night spot.
But Moyo did not bother to buy her sanitary pads and left her bleeding until shop keepers at a flea market noticed her and inquired, sparking a police investigation.
Online Reporter