By Yeukai Karengezeka
A Chitungwiza man will spent the next 14 years in jail after he was convicted of raping his eight-year-old daughter on several occasions. He was convicted by Chitungwiza regional magistrate Mrs Estere Chivasa last week after a full trial.
Mrs Chivasa initially sentenced him to 16 years in jail before suspending two years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.
In passing the sentence she said: “Your moral blameworthy is very high and as the biological father of this child you failed to protect her and people like you deserve deterrent sentences.
“I also blame the mother for her recklessness of leaving the child in custody of her husband and such mothers deserve to be punished.”
Prosecuting, Mr Tendai Mukariri proved that during the period extending from January to February 2019, the victim shared a room with her father and brother, while their mother was staying in Glen Norah where she works.
The complainant used to sleep on the floor but on an unknown date her father asked her to join him on the bed when the brother had gone to stay with the mother.
On another date, he raped her again and ordered her not to tell anyone and he continued doing so.
In one of the instances, the landlady heard the complainant crying during the night and went to inquire, but the father told her that he had stepped on the complainant by mistake.
On February 24, complainant woke up late at around 11:30am and the landlady got worried why the complainant was still indoors up to that hour.
When she came out she asked her if everything was okay and the complainant told her that she was feeling pain in her private parts and had a headache.
The landlady then invited a police officer who lives next door to interview the complaint who then revealed that she had been raped by her dad.
The matter was reported to the police, leading to the father’s arrest.
A medical report revealed that the victim had fresh and old bruises on her private parts. The Herald
