A 13-YEAR-OLD rape victim on Thursday pleaded with the Beitbridge Regional Court to commit her stepfather to life imprisonment for raping her twice this month.
Although the court jailed the rapist for 30 years, the highlight of the case was the girl's moving description of the sexual assault.
In her Victim Impact Assessment submission presented to Magistrate Takudzwa Gwazemba, the girl who cannot be named for professional reasons said she is still hurting physically and emotionally.
The girl said she was no longer comfortable around men, even her relatives. While she desperately needed counselling, her mother could not afford the services.
In her written submission, the girl said she felt a lesser human, and will possibly stay like that for a lifetime.
Asked by the court to respond, the stepfather, who pleaded guilty, said he could not dispute the victim's feelings and blamed himself. He asked the court to be lenient considering that the girl and two other children were looking up to him.
"I wronged her, but I still consider her my child who I should fend for. She has two siblings aged 10 and seven who I must take care of," he said.
In passing sentence, Gwazemba agreed with the State that the rape had aggravating circumstances considering a knife was used.
- Jail him for life, rape victim pleads
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The prevalence of rape is disturbing and a message should be sent to other would-be offenders, he said.
Agreed facts were that the stepfather and his victim escorted his wife to board a bus to Harare on May 6 this year. In the evening of the same day he raped his stepchild and threatened to kill her.
When he left his phone on the charger in the morning she used it to relate her experience to her mother who told her to report to the police immediately resulting in his arrest.
Willbrought Muleya prosecuted.
