The Nkukula court in Lilongwe has sentenced a 45-year-old man to seven years imprisonment with hard labour for raping a 10-year-old girl.
The man has been identified as Amoni Chiboma Kamphiri.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Esnarth Phiri of Kanengo police station said the incident occurred at Gumbi village, Traditional Authority Kabudula in Lilongwe when the man coaxed the underage girl into a bush where he raped her.
The prosecutor told the court that the rapist was caught red-handed by a villager who had gone into the bush to answer the call of nature.
She further disclosed that police officers at Mtema Police Unit managed to arrest the rapist with help from members of community policing.
In court, the suspect pleaded guilty to a charge of defilement under section 138 of the penal code.
While passing the sentence, magistrate Cecelia Onsewa said cases of sexual assault on girls have an enormous negative impact on their mental development. She further said that these cases disturb social life within the community.
She pointed out that when the cases occur, the community is left hopeless and expects the courts to pass meaningful penalties on perpetrators.
She therefore sentenced the man to seven years in jail with hope that the penalty will serve as a lesson to others.
