Drama as businessman jailed 15 years for rape

By Walter Mswazie

Business briefly came to a standstill at Masvingo regional magistrate court on Tuesday as the family of a prominent city businessman Aubrey Cunnings who had been convicted of raping a 16-year-old relative thronged the dock to console him.

Masvingo regional magistrate Mrs Dambudzo Malunga slapped Cunnings with a 15-year jail term after finding him guilty on three counts of rape. Appearing before Mrs Malunga, Cunnings pleaded not guilty to raping the girl since 2012 when she was 11 years old and attending Grade Six. Cunnings said the girl lied because he had refused to continue supporting her. He said the girl had failed to extort money from him hence she felt angry and decided to concoct the rape case.

Cunnings, a proprietor of an auto mechanic shop in Masvingo and renowned golfer, also shouted at the girl threatening that he will deal with her when he comes out of prison. When the sentence was delivered, Cunnings stood in disbelief and surrendered his wallet to his wife Mrs Yasmin Cunnings before he was whisked away by the vigilant prison guards. Mrs Yasmin Cunnings also shouted at the girl calling her a pathological liar.

For the State, Ms Shamiso Masokovere told the court that Cunnings started living with the victim as her guardian when she was doing Grade Six in 2012 until last year. It was, however, not clear in court who had assumed guardianship of the girl after she parted ways with the Cunnings family last year.

“Cunnings lived with the girl since 2012 and he was responsible for paying her school fees and catering for her upkeep by that time. Sometime in the same year on an unknown date but at around 2am on the first occasion, Cunnings sneaked into the complainant’s blankets while she was fast asleep in her bedroom and raped her once,” said Ms Masokovere.

The court heard that the first incident occurred at Cunnings’ house in Rhodene suburb. Cunnings muffled the girl’s mouth so she could not make noise, the court heard. The following morning, the girl, however, managed to tell the maid what had transpired after she heard her crying although no police report was made.

The court heard Cunnings raped the girl on several occasions, threatening her with unspecified action if she reported to anyone.

However, when Cunnings raped the girl on a gravel road off the Masvingo-Mashava Road on 3 May 2016, the girl gathered courage and informed a relative who reported the matter to the police leading to the businessman’s arrest. A medical report was available in court as exhibit. The Sunday News