A Harare medical doctor Alfred Mamsa’s 27 years experience in the profession suffered a heavy blow yesterday after he was jailed 15 years for drugging and raping his 21-year-old patient.
The rapist doctor will however serve an effective 11-year-jail term after four years were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
His wife and relatives could not contain their emotions and openly sobbed after regional magistrate Adonia Masawi pronounced a guilty verdict.
Before passing sentence, the magistrate lambasted the rapist doctor for using his medical knowledge to pounce on unsuspecting innocent victims.
Masawi said: “Accused’s (Mamsa) moral blameworthiness is very high taking into account that he used a powerful drug to subdue his patient. His actions were out of the ordinary. The courts will not take lightly doctors taking advantage of their medical knowledge to subdue their patients.”
The magistrate however, concurred with Mamsa’s lawyer Advocate Moses Mtombeni’s submissions that there were a lot of inconsistences in the complainant’s evidence.
However, the magistrate said the complainant’s overall evidence was convincing enough to warrant a conviction.
Masawi said it was clear from the complainant’s testimony that after the drug was administered on her, she suffered drowsiness but before the drug took total effect she saw Mamsa getting on top of her.
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The court said the complainant clearly stated that she could feel the doctor sexually assaulting her though she did not have strength to fight and push him off.
Prosecutor Tinashe Kanyemba presented that on March 19 this year, the woman, who is a student at Africa University, visited Mamsa at Fife Avenue Medical Centre, after experiencing abdominal pains due to irregular menstrual periods.
The court heard Mamsa indicated he wanted to examine the woman and ordered her to remove all her clothes.
The woman said she was initially injected and the first thing she felt after the drug was administered was the force of someone on top of her.
As she tried to figure out what was happening, she asked Mamsa what was going on to which he replied: “I will just do it a little and only once.”
The court heard the doctor held the woman’s both hands and had sexual intercourse with her.
Mamsa’s lawyer however said he would appeal against both conviction and sentence.
