A 21-year-old man from Marondera was arraigned before the Rusape Magistrates’ Court on four counts of rape.
The perpetrator, whose identity has been withheld to protect the victim, was accused of raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter. He was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The brief facts of the case according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) are as follows:
Some time in the year 2023 the complainant together with her two younger siblings were left in the custody of the accused person by their mother.
The accused person took the siblings to the garden. When the complainant’s siblings fell asleep, the accused person dragged the complainant to a nearby banana plantation where he forcibly removed her clothes, and laid her on the ground before raping her.
The complainant screamed but was assaulted by the accused person. After the offence, they went home and the complainant did not tell anyone.
He also raped her on three other occasions when the complainant and her siblings were left in his custody.
He raped the complainant in her bedroom when she was sleeping, in the bush where they had gone to fetch firewood and also when she was bathing.
The matter came to light in December 2023 when the complainant confided in her aunt. This led to the filing of a police report, which subsequently resulted in the arrest of the accused person.
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