Education for two girls who were raped in Nkhotakota hangs in balance as they have stopped going to school for fear of being laughed at.
The revelation was made on Monday when the Nkhunga magistrate court meted out a 10 year jail term to 32-year-old Stainford Chitunga for raping the two girls aged 8 and 11 at Dwangwa in Nkhotakota.
State prosecutor Inspector Wills Asibu told the jam packed Nkhunga magistrate court that between the months of January and May 2018, the suspect raped the two girls, one of whom is his step-daughter.
Appearing before court, Chitunga pleaded not guilty to the charge and this prompted the state to parade five witnesses and on July 9 Chitunga was convicted. During mitigation, the convict sought the court’s leniency saying he looks after his relatives.
In his submissions, Inspector Asibu prayed for a stiff punishment for the convict saying due to what the convict did, the two young girls were both physically and psychologically affected.
The state prosecutor also told the court that the two girls have now stopped going to school since their fellow pupils are laughing at them for being sexually abused.
Worse still, the 8-year-old victim was infected with a sexually transmitted infection.
Passing sentence, his worship Kingsley Buleya concurred with state’s submissions hinting on the need to give the convict a stiff punishment to deter other would be offenders.
Magistrate Buleya later sentenced the convict to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour.
The convict Stainford Chitunga comes from Chiphe village in the area of Traditional Authority Kachere in Dedza district.
