The Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court in Mzuzu on August 09, 2023, convicted and sentenced a 37-year-old man, John Chisale to 21-years and Paulos Nyirongo, 22, to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour for having sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 18-years.
The court through prosecutor Sergeant Maggie Simfukwe heard that, Chisale committed the offence during the month of November, 2022 at Elamuleni in Mzimba.
After the incident the victim(11-year old girl) revealed the ordeal to her aunt (convict’s wife) who gave her a cold shoulder instead of helping her niece.
The victim later gathered some courage and tipped some well wishers on the same who took her to the police where she was issued a referral to Mzuzu Central Hospital and the results proved that she was defiled.
In a related development, the same court convicted and sentenced Paulos Nyirongo 22, for having canal knowledge with an eleven (11) year old girl at Lwafa Area in Nkhatabay.
The court heard that, on December 25, 2022, Nyirongo requested the victim to bring cassava to his house where he dragged her inside and defiled the innocent minor.
Appearing before court, both convicts pleaded not guilty to the charges which prompted the state to parade three witnesses for each and proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.
In mitigation the convicts asked the court for leniency stating that they were first offenders and that they have family obligations.
In her submission, prosecutor Simfukwe reminded the court that the convicts planned to commit the offence and that the cases are on the rise in Mzuzu, hence asked for a stiffer punishment.
Passing sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Issah Maulidi concurred with the state.
He therefore sentenced Chisale to 21 years and Nyirongo to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour to deter other the would-be offenders.
Chisale hails from Matula village, Traditional Authority Kampingo Sibande in Mzimba District, while Nyirongo comes from Mpwechi village, Traditional Authority Kabunduli in Nkhatabay.
