A 22-year-old man from Beitbridge appeared before the Beitbridge Magistrates Court on charges of attempted rape. He had been arrested for trying to rape his stepmother on Sunday morning.
The accused, whose name has not been disclosed, was convicted of the offence and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), on September 15, 2024, at around 6 AM, the complainant was lying in her blankets in her bedroom when the accused knocked on her door and was permitted to enter. Said the NPA:
He asked for washing powder and the complainant told him that she would give him money to go and buy some later.
He returned a while later and opened the door without knocking, peeped and shut the door before he left.
He returned once more, hurriedly opened the door and walked towards the complainant who was still in her blankets.
He moved around the room, closed the door and the complainant immediately jumped out of the bed and stood on feet.
The accused person pulled down his trousers, charged towards the complainant and tripped her. He removed the complainant’s skirt and tried to rape her.
While they were wrestling, a neighbour who was outside shouted the accused person’s name to stop what he was doing.
The accused stopped his actions upon hearing more neighbours gathering outside. A police report was subsequently filed, leading to his arrest.
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