A 31-YEAR-OLD Mutoko man, who allegedly raped his five-year-old stepdaughter after evicting the girl’s mother following a misunderstanding over infidelity, has now approached the High Court seeking bail pending trial.
BY DERICK JAIROSI
It is the State’s case that on September 4, 2017, the suspect, who comes from Charindema village under Chief Charehwa, allegedly evicted his wife from the couple’s matrimonial home, claiming she was having an extra-marital affair with a neighbour.
Upon leaving the homestead, it is alleged the woman left her daughter in the suspect’s custody and on the same day, during the night, the man slept in the same room with his daughter whom he raped once before threatening her with assault if she disclosed the matter to anyone.
It is the State’s case that prior to the incident, the suspect had had an altercation with the complainant’s mother over her infidelity.
But in his bail application, the suspect said he was of the view that the allegations were levelled against him by the girl’s mother as a way to fix him.
“These allegations are cooked by the complainant’s mother as a way of fixing me as I had chased her from our matrimonial home due to her infidelity,” the suspect said, urging the court to grant him bail, saying he was a good candidate of the same.
However, the State opposed the man’s application, saying he was facing serious allegations which were supported by a medical report.
