A HARARE magistrate has handed down a 16-year jail term to a 27-year-old Glen View man who last month sexually abused his 15-year-old relative.
BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
The convict will spend 12 years in jail after magistrate Estere Chivasa suspended four years on condition of good behaviour. In passing sentence on Wednesday, Chivasa ruled that the degree of evidence was overwhelming and the complainant was found with fresh hymen tears which showed the amount of force used by the convict.
She said cases of sexual abuse against relatives were soaring and a deterrent sentence would instil fear into would-be offenders.
According to the State, on November 3 this year at around 10pm, the complainant was sleeping in the kitchen and noticed that someone was lying on top of her.
The court heard that she tried to scream for help, but the convict muffled her mouth with his hands. The complainant then noticed that it was her uncle whom she stayed with.
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The convict then proceeded to rape the complainant as she bit his mouth and finger in a bid to escape.
After the abuse, the victim went outside the house where her aunt found her crying.
She told her aunt that the convict had attempted to remove her undergarments and eventually spilled the beans the following day, leading to the convict’s arrest.