Liwonde First Grade Magistrate Court on Thursday sentenced a village headman to seven years in prison for attempting to rape his 13-year-old niece.
The traditional leader has been identified as Luscious Katuli aged 47.
According to Machinga police publicist Constable Davie Sulumba, Prosecution Officer Inspector Richard Kandeya told the court that the victim who is a niece to the convict was on 15 July, 2017 sleeping in the convict’s house together with two children of the sexual offender.
During that night the village headman went to the sitting room where the girls were sleeping and he started undressing the victim but was stopped when the girl woke up and turned on a torch light.
The following night the convict did the same up to the extent of touching the girl’s private parts, this scared the girl who shouted for help.
She then went to her parents’ house where she reported the ordeal and later the matter was reported to Nselema Police Post.
The chief was arrested and charged with indecent assault which is contrary to section 137 of the Penal Code.
In court he denied the charge which led prosecutor Kandeya to parade four witnesses who gave satisfactory evidence which the convict did not challenge.
The chief was found guilty and in mitigation he prayed for lenient punishment saying he is a breadwinner, a church elder and village headman.
His Worship First Grade Magistrate Jones Masula then sentenced the chief to seven years imprisonment with hard labour.
The disgraced chief hails from Nkawa Village, Traditional Authority Nyambi in Machinga district.
