Story by Fungai Jachi
The courts continue to send a strong message to paedophiles who destroy children’s lives, after the incarceration of two men who were convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment each.
Protecting children against paedophiles is being prioritised by the courts as they are being given lengthy custodial sentences, with the latest case being that of a 32-year-old man who was handed a 20-year-jail term for raping his four-year-old niece.
The offender lured the child to his bedroom where he raped her once.
A neighbour overheard the child telling a friend of the abuse and alerted the police leading to his arrest.
Meanwhile, a 24-year-old man from Mutare will spend 20 years behind bars for drugging and raping a nine year old girl in his car.
The offender kidnapped the child and forced her to drink alcohol before raping her.
The girl’s mother noticed the child had been infected with a sexually transmitted disease and upon quizzing her she disclosed the abuse.
In another matter, a 23-year-old man was arrested and arraigned in court for allegedly raping his one year old daughter.
It is alleged that the man who was left babysitting while his wife carried out household chores removed the baby’s diaper and raped her once.
The court heard that when the child’s mother entered the room, the child was lying on the floor, bleeding with her diaper removed.
Further allegations are that when the mother rushed to confront the accused he fled from the scene but was later arrested.
He was remanded in custody pending his trial set for the 3rd of next month.
