adminTendai Rupapa Senior Reporter
A teacher from Mudzi has been arrested on allegations of raping a Grade 5 pupil.
Maxwell Homwe (48), who resides in Nyamusenda village, is a widower with three children and alleges he has been framed in an extortion case.
It is the State’s case that he raped the girl at her grandmother’s house.
He initially appeared before a Mutoko magistrate on September 22 charged with rape and was remanded in custody with instructions to apply for bail at the High Court.
He has since approached the higher court and is denying the charge.
Through his lawyer, Mr Batanai Pesanai, Homwe in his defence argued that he was being framed after the grandmother tried to extort money from him by accusing him of an illicit association with the girl.
“The presumption of innocence should further leverage against continued detention of prisoners awaiting trial,” read part of his brief defence.
According to the State, sometime in March this year, Homwe allegedly went to the girl’s house where she stays with her grandmother during the night and sneaked into her bedroom before raping her.
It is not stated in the court papers how the matter came to light.
Online Reporter