Uncle jailed 20 years for sodomy on 13-year-old nephew

A 25-year-old Bulawayo man who sodomised his 13-year-old nephew has been sentenced to an effective 20 years in jail.

The man sodomised the minor while sharing a bed with him on July 25. The boy reported the incident to his aunt, leading to man’s arrest.

Western Commonage Regional Magistrate, Ms Sibonginkosi Mnkandla, last week found the man guilty of aggravated indecent assault.

Passing the verdict, Ms Mnkandla emphasised the responsibility of the courts to protect vulnerable children from abuse.

“The victim was severely affected, as was evident when he gave evidence in court. Instead of protecting the minor as his uncle, the accused chose to abuse him,” she said.

“The offence occurred in what should have been a safe space, and the accused’s subsequent insinuations that the court had accepted a bribe further demonstrates his lack of remorse. The court is therefore left with no choice but to impose the presumptive penalty, which is 20 years of imprisonment.”

Prosecuting, Ms Christine Manyika told the court that on the night of the incident, the boy and his uncle were sleeping in the same bed when he sodomised him.

The boy immediately woke up and informed his aunt, who was sleeping in another room and the matter was reported to the police.

A medical examination confirmed the assault, with a report presented in court showing that the boy had sustained bruises.

In his defence, the man denied the charges, claiming that his brother’s wife had fabricated the story as revenge for his rejection of her alleged sexual advances. He accused the woman of attempting to seduce him on multiple occasions and claimed that she had threatened to get him arrested if he resisted.

“She even went as far as barging into my bedroom wrapped in a towel and sitting on my bed. When I turned her down, she threw my phone into a pot of boiling water,” the man claimed

He further alleged that the woman had manipulated the boy by denying him food to coerce him into making false accusations.

Despite the man’s claims, the boy remained consistent in his testimony, describing the experience as traumatising. The medical evidence corroborated his account, confirming the presence of physical injuries consistent with his allegations.

The aunt denied the accused’s claims, asserting that she had no interest in him. The court also heard that the man had attempted to evade arrest after the incident but was eventually apprehended in Colleen Bawn, Matabeleland South.

The investigating officer testified that the victim displayed signs of trauma when giving his statement to the police.