A 45-year-old man in Lilongwe has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment with hard labour for raping a 10-year-old girl.

Police prosecutor sergeant Esnarth Phiri, told the court that the shameful incident happened at Gumbi village, T/A Kabudula in Lilongwe when the man coaxed the young girl into a nearby bush where he raped her.

“The rapist was caught red handed by a villager who had gone into the same bush as well to defecate. Members of the community together with the police managed to capture the rapist and was taken to custody, said the prosecutor.

While passing the sentence, magistrate Cecelia Onsewa said cases of sexual assault on girls have an enormous negative impact on their mental development. She further said that these cases disturb social life within the community.

She pointed out that when the cases occur, the community is left hopeless and expects the courts to pass meaningful penalties on perpetrators.

She therefore sentenced the man to seven years in jail with hope that the penalty will serve as a lesson to others.