Malawian man handed 84 month jail term for rape

The Mzimba first grade magistrate court has sentenced 35 year-old Khumbo Soko to 84 months imprisonment with hard labour for defiling his brother’s eleven year-old daughter.

State prosecutors told the court that despite the case being the first one for the offender, he needed a stiff punishment because related cases are becoming rife in the district.

They emphasized that offenders of such cases are a disgrace to Malawian society thus they need to be jailed for many years to scare aspiring offenders.

However, to the surprise of this publication, the prosecutors did not concentrate much on the incest charges despite the offender having forced himself on his brother’s daughter.

The sex offender pleaded guilty to all charges and did not give any complaint or appeal for fair punishment because he really defiled the girl. In his ruling, magistrate Lowness Gumbo said the gravity of the offence meant the offender deserved a lot of years for the offence but she slapped him with just 84 months jail sentence.

Police publicist for the district, constable Kanjauso, hailed the court for the sentence citing it will act as a warning to aspiring offenders of such cases.

He went on to warn that police will operate round the clock to bring to book everybody who will be violating laws of the country.

“The sentence is impressing because we believe many would be offenders will learn from it. As police we will work day and night to bring sanity in the country,” said Kanjauso.

Mzimba has emerged to be one of the districts in the country where cases of rape and defilement are becoming the order of the day.