adminMelody Baya Court Reporter
A girl, 17, has said an anonymous letter to the police claiming that she was raped by a St Columbus High School security guard was fake. Her statement on Monday resulted in the rape charges against the guard being withdrawn.
Tito Gumbo, 58, of Cowdray Park was arrested for allegedly raping the girl in 2013 when she was 14 years old.
“I wish to withdraw the matter because I was never raped.
‘‘I didn’t report the matter to the police.
‘‘It was through an anonymous letter from a suggestion box that the matter was reported to the police,” said the girl whose name cannot be disclosed for legal reasons.
Gumbo, earlier this month appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Themba Chimiso facing a rape charge, which he denied.
The alleged rape had been “exposed” during a prophecy at the girl’s church.
“I didn’t tell anyone about the incident until one day at church when one of the prophets prophesied that there was a girl in the church who had been raped and had kept the issue to herself.
‘‘I then confirmed the prophecy to be true to the prophet and my family,” she said earlier in a statement.
Yesterday she changed her story resulting in the withdrawal of the charge against Gumbo.
Prosecuting, Mufaro Mageza, had told the court that sometime in 2013 at around 9PM, the teenager met Gumbo when she was coming from the shops in Cowdray Park.
“As she was passing by the accused person’s house she was called by the accused person who was sitting outside his house.
‘‘He then asked her to get into the house and get some shoe polish.
‘‘The complainant refused but the accused threatened to report her to her parents for being disrespectful to her elders,” said Mageza.
As soon as she complied, Gumbo allegedly followed her inside and locked the door.
He then allegedly grabbed her and shoved her onto a sofa before raping her once without using protection.
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