Man gets 8 years for raping three boys

A court in Mzuzu on Thursday sentenced a 32 year-old man to eight years imprisonment with hard labour for raping three boys.

Deputy Public Relations for Mzuzu police Cecilia Mfune said the rapist Masauko John was caught red handed attempting to rape the boys in July this year.

She however said John managed to rape the three boys who are all aged 14 on several occasions between the months of June and July this year at Ekwendeni in Mzimba North.

“John threatened the victims that he was a witchdoctor and they would die instantly if they revealed the issue to anybody,” Mfune said.

But the issue came to light when he was caught red handed by an elder person trying to rape the boys. The matter was later reported to police and the convict arrested on the spot.

He was charged with three counts of sodomy and was eventually convicted. In mitigation, John asked the court to be lenient claiming he is a bread winner of his family and that he was operated on his right leg.

But Chief Resident Magistrate Texas Masoamphambe said that though the convict was a first offender, he committed a serious offence.

Masoamphambe revealed that the victims have been stigmatised at school following the same inhuman act.

He then sentenced John to eight years in prison for each count of sodomy to run concurrently. The rapist comes from Nyotindau village, Traditional Authority Mtwalo in Mzimba district.