Five villagers from Hwedza, Mashonaland East Province, have been convicted for the shocking assault of a fellow villager.
The incident occurred on July 4, 2024, when the suspects stripped the victim, brutally assaulted her with tree branches, and recorded the entire event on video.
The suspects, four of whom are juveniles under the age of 18 and one aged 19, were arrested after the video of the assault went viral on social media.
They were found guilty of multiple offences, including aggravated indecent assault, cyberbullying, unlawful detention, and assault.
As reported by NewZimbabwe.com, Vimbai Mike (19) and a 17-year-old woman, who is married with two children, have each been sentenced to a total of five years in prison for indecent assault.
They received an additional year for cyberbullying related to the posting of the victim’s video on social media, one year for unlawful detention, and another year for assault. However, these sentences will run concurrently within the five-year term.
The other three juveniles involved were spared custodial sentences on the condition that they refrain from committing similar offences for the next five years.
The court heard that on July 4, 2024, at 11:00 AM, Vimbai Mike (19), Rudo Manjere (17), Lilly Rose Munyoro (16), Lillian Chido Munyoro (17) and Sandra Vhumbunu (17), lured 18-year-old Mavis Mada to Vimbai Mike’s homestead in Mupfuuri village under the pretence of giving her vegetable seedlings.
Once there, they locked her in a hut, stripped her naked, and took turns assaulting her with sticks, inserting three sticks into her private parts while recording the incident.
The victim lost consciousness, and the suspects poured water on her before releasing her at 3:00 PM.
The subsequent arrest of the suspects led to the recovery of a Vivo cellphone that had been used to record the assault.
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