Phalombe First Grade Magistrate court has sentenced a 45 year old man, David Dangwe, to six years imprisonment with hard labour (IHL) for raping a 12-year-old girl.
According to Phalombe Police spokesperson, Innocent Moses, the court heard through the State Prosecutor Philemon Banda that on several occasions, the victim used to go to the house of village headman Muhowa to assist him in fetching water.
And one day within this month of March when she was coming back home from the house of the chief, Dangwe invited the girl to his house where he raped her.
Dangwe was later arrested and charged with an offence of defilement which is contrary to section 138 of the penal code.
Appearing before First Grade Magistrate Damson Banda on Tuesday, the rapist pleaded guilty to the charge leveled against him which led to the State to pray for a stiffer punishment so as to deter other would be offenders.
In mitigation, Dangwe asked the court to give him a lenient sentence claiming that he stays alone at his house hence having nobody to look after him.
However, the magistrate quashed the mitigation describing it as baseless.
Instead he agreed with the state that defilement cases are rampant in the district hence the need for stiff custodial sentences and he therefore Banda sentenced Dangwe to 72 months imprisonment with hard labour.
Dangwe hails from Misesa village in the area of traditional Kapeni in Blantyre district.
