The Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a 43-year-old man to 21 years in prison for raping his 12-year-old niece.
The convict, Emmanuel Amos Chimombo, was jailed on yesterday before Chief Resident Magistrate Patrick Chirwa.
The court heard through State Prosecutor Sub Inspector Damiano Nyasulu that the convict committed the offence on the night of 4 May 2021 in his house at Area 36.
At the time, the court heard, Chimombo’s wife was away in Blantyre. He took advantage and sneaked into his niece’s bedroom. He forced himself into the child, threatening to kill her if she dared shout or reveal anything.
The victim, however, was kicked out of the home and she narrated her ordeal to her mother.
In his trial, Chimombo denied sexually abusing the child, prompting the State to parade four witnesses to prove its case.
The State went on asking the court to execute a long prison sentence. It argued further that the sexual abuse had left the child traumatized.
In his mitigation, Chimombo prayed for leniency saying he had a huge family obligation.
But in his judgment, Chief Resident Magistrate Patrick Chirwa quashed the mitigation and instead bought into the State’s plea.
Chirwa sentenced Chimombo to jail for 21 years to serve as a warning to would-be sex offenders.
