There was drama at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday when a convicted Anglican priest walked out of the dock to give a firm hand shake to a 13-year-old rape victim’s father, risking being slapped with further charges for contempt of court.
Thomas Madeyi, 44, surprised everyone who was in court when he stoically moved out of the dock to extend a handshake to the victim’s father after he was convicted of rape. He was remanded in custody to Friday when the court will deliver sentence.
Dressed in his religious attire, Madeyi was convicted after a full trial was conducted, with the court ruling that the state had managed to prove its case against him.
In his judgment, regional magistrate Simon Rogers Kachambwa said:
“The defence in its handling of the accused’s case was no doubt attempting to cover up a Christian evil, paint a picture of sainthood impeccability and infallibility on the accused, demonising complainant, state witnesses in attempting to shift the blame to the complainant’s father, uncle, people at the school or people in the neighbourhood and home.”
He further said Madeyi was “witch-hunting” in his defence in a bid to exonerate himself from the offence. “All this failed. The state case was never shaken an inch,” Kachambwa said.
According to prosecutor Valerie Ngoma, the girl together with her brother visited the Madeyi family during a school holiday in December 2006, after the death of their mother. The court heard that, Madeyi called the girl into the house and took her to the spare bedroom where he stripped her.
He told the girl he wanted to console her, before lowering his trousers and laying the girl on the bed and proceeded to rape her. After the act, the court was told that he ordered the girl to put on her clothes and leave. On the following day, he called the girl again into the house.
According to state papers, he said, “Do you still remember what we did yesterday? “I want to do the same today”. He again proceeded to rape the girl. The offence came to light after the girl developed a health problem and could no longer control her bladder and would let off urine abnormally.
She later told school authorities about the rape and they proceeded to tell the girl’s father and step mother. The matter was then reported to the police leading to Madeyi’s arrest. Daily News
