Mzuzu Magistrate Court has slapped a 37 year old man with a 16 years jail term for defiling a 12 year old girl.
State Prosecutor, Sub Inspector Martin Bwanali told the court that the accused, Kumbukani Namakhwa, defiled the little girl at Kamanda Village, in Enukweni area, in Mzimba District.
Prosecutor Bwanali said on May 19, 2020, the accused dragged the victim into a nearby bush while the victim’s sister was elusively watching from a distance.
Bwanali said, the suspicious sister rushed to her home and reported to her parents and relatives about the disappearance of the victim and the accused into the bush.
“When the victim’s parents and other villagers rushed to the spot where the accused and the victim vanished, they found the victim retrieving from the bush, alone but with K300 in her hand,” said Bwanali.
He said when squeezed, the victim revealed that Namakhwa had defiled her and gave her the money on plea that she did not tell anyone about what had happened.
The victim’s parents and other villagers mobilized themselves and reported the matter to Enukweni Police Unit, which led to the arrest of Namakhwa.
The prosecutor pleaded with the court to hand down stern penalty on Namakhwa for committing a grave offense.
“The offense committed by the accused is a grave one. The action will make the victim to be haunted for life. I plead for stiffer penalty on the accused as a punishment,” Bwanali begged the court.
Passing judgment, Senior Resident Magistrate Peter Kandulu, concurred with the prosecutor that the offense committed by Namakhwa was a serious one and as such the court had to met down a penalty, both, for the accused to learn a lesson as well as to deter others nursing similar intentions .
“I, therefore, sentence you to 16 years imprisonment with hard labour (IHL), a penalty that will help you to learn a lesson,” ruled Kandulu.
Namakhwa, who pleaded guilty to the offense, asked for lenience emphasizing he did not know what he had done.
Namakhwa hails from Chimthebe Village, in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Thomas, in Thyolo District.
Meanwhile, Mzuzu Police have appealed to parents to control movements of their little girls to avoid landing themselves in problems such as defilement and other sexual harassment.
Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Edith Kachotsa said police is aware that in the time of Covid-19 outbreak, men with sinister motives will use money to entice little girls who roam about in villages.
“We are urging parents and guardians to always ensure that they control movement of their little girls to avoid accidents such as defilement, “said Kachotsa.
The PRO said Police is also advising parents to send their children to accomplish certain tasks, such as going to the garden, groceries, markets and other assignments in groups, for their safety.
According to Kachotsa, heartless men take advantage of the Covid-19 period to dangle money in front of the noses of little girls whose parents fail to meet their basic needs due to dwindling household income levels.
SourceMANA
