The Chronicle
Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
A 74-year-old senior citizen from the Mzingwane area, Ward 6 in Beitbridge has been jailed for an effective 12 years for raping his daughter aged nine years.
The man who cannot be named for fear of exposing the victim is accused of repeatedly raping the juvenile in 2017 until she ran away from home.
The accused who was staying alone with his daughter at that time pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape when he appeared before Beitbridge Reginal Magistrate Mr Innoncent Bepura who convicted him on the strength of the State’s evidence.
The senior citizen was left with 12 years effective to serve when the magistrate conditionally suspended eight years of the 20-year term for five years.
Prosecuting, Mr Cloudios Karinga told the court that sometime in 2017, the accused and his daughter (13) were staying together in Mzingwane.
He said on a date unknown to the State but in the same year, the complainant went to fetch drinking water from her father’s bedroom.
While in the house, he followed her and quizzed her about why she had entered the room.
He raped her once and threatened her with unspecified action if she disclosed the incident to anyone.
The court further heard that in the second incident, the man called his daughter to his bedroom again and raped her in the same manner.
The matter came to light on October 26 last year when the girl had a misunderstanding with her aunt and she went on to report the matter to the police.
Mr Karinga said the juvenile was then taken to a local children’s home for her safety. Medical examinations were then done which proved she had been sexually abused.
The matter comes a few months after another senior citizen from Malala was arrested for raping his daughter until she fell pregnant.
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Article Source: The Chronicle