MARONDERA — A 25-year-old man from Acturus Mine was yesterday sentenced to an effective 16-year jail term for raping his daughter’s seven-year-old friend. Report by Jairos Saunyama
The man, who cannot be named to protect the minor’s identity, was initially sentenced to 18 years in jail by Marondera magistrate Alexio Shumba before he suspended two years on condition of good behaviour.
In passing sentence, Shumba said the rapist father betrayed the trust bestowed on him by the community as a parent and deserved a custodial sentence.
The court heard that sometime in October last year at around 0900hours, the complainant (name withheld) visited her friend’s residence and found the father alone at home.
He invited her into his kitchen hut after enticing her with sweets and raped her once.
After the act, he ordered her off his homestead and threatened her with harm if she spilled the beans.
A month later, her grandmother quizzed her after noticing that she had assumed an uncharacteristically withdrawn attitude, leading her to reveal the abuse. The grandmother then reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of the man.
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