A 46-year-old primary school teacher has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour for being in relationship with a pupil and in the process defiling her.

Public relation officer for Mulanje police station Gresham Ngwira identified the convict as Thomas Mzunga who was a teacher at Nansato primary school where the victim learns.

Assistant Superintendent Davison Banda of Mulanje Police Station told the court that Mzunga had been in romantic relationship with the minor, a standard 5 pupil.

The news came to people’s knowledge in July last year after the niece of the victim who also teaches at the said institution learnt about the affair and took the matter to the school’s administration for assistance.

Upon being quizzed, both the girl and the teacher denied to have been in relationship prompting the niece to report the matter to police station for further assistance.

He was later arrested and charged for an offence of defilement after the minor was quizzed and revealed that the two had also been engaging in sex.

In court, the teacher denied the offence forcing the prosecutor to parade eight witnesses who proved beyond reasonable doubts.

In his submission, Assistant Superintendent Banda who is Mulanje police Station Prosecution Officer prayed for a stiff penalty. He said what Mzunga did was a sign of irresponsibility requiring a stiff penalty to serve both as a lesson to him and a deterrent to would-be-offenders.

In mitigation, the teacher asked the court for leniency arguing that he looks after his elderly mother.

But his worship magistrate Smart Muruwasa dismissed his plea for leniency and slapped with his a 14 years term jail term.

Meanwhile, police have issued a warning to all irresponsible men that the law will not spare anyone involved in such similar cases.