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Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Correspondent
A 19-YEAR-OLD man has been slapped with an eight-year jail term for raping his cousin who was five years old at the time he started abusing her.
Mutare regional magistrate, Ms Phathekile Msipa suspended three years of the sentence on condition of good behaviour.
The teenager (name withheld to protect the identity of the victim) will therefore serve an effective five-year jail term.
The teen was facing two counts of rape as described in Section 65 (1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23, when he appeared in court.
He pleaded not guilty.
However, he was convicted due to overwhelming evidence.
Ms Nomathembi Sayi prosecuted.
The court heard that sometime between 2015 and 2018, the complainant was at her Dangamvura home playing with her friend.
Her cousin asked her to get a phone charger from his bedroom.
“He followed her into the bedroom and asked her to undress and do what adults do on television.
‘‘He raped her once and ordered her not to report to anyone. From then on, he would rape and indecently assault her on several occasions.
“In August 2021, the complainant’s sister saw the minor (now 10 years old), scratching inside her underwear. She enquired why the minor kept doing that and that is when the minor revealed that their cousin had been abusing her. She could not even recall the number of times it had happened,” said Ms Sayi.
Online Reporter