Vagrant gets 6 years

A homeless man who broke into a hostel at Harare Girls High School and stole some items before attempting to rape a Form Four pupil was on Wednesday sentenced to an effective six-year jail term.
Francis Kanyoka (22) pleaded guilty to unlawful entry and attempted rape when he appeared before regional magistrate Mr William Bhila.
He was sentenced to two years for unlawful entry and four years for attempted rape.
Mr Bhila said, “Cases like these are serious and prevalent. He went on to steal and used a scissors, strangled with an intention to rape the minor. Therefore, there has to be effective imprisonment such that society will be protected from people of his calibre.”
The agreed facts are that on October 5 this year, Kanyoka, who is of no fixed abode, went to Beit Hostel at the school and forced open a window to gain entry into a dormitory. He opened pupils’ suitcases and stole groceries, an electric jug and a pair of shoes.
He threw the items through a window with the intention of collecting them on his way out.
He armed himself with a pair of scissors he had stolen from one of the suitcases and went to a bed where a Form Four pupil was sleeping. Kanyoka removed her blankets and cut the pupils’ pyjamas using the scissors and throttled her before trying to rape her. She screamed for help and Kanyoka jumped through the window and fled.
A security guard stationed near the dormitory heard the screams and went to investigate.
He chased Kanyoka and caught him in possession of goods worth US$70. – CR.