In Balaka, the first grade magistrate court has slapped 41-year-old Majawa Matiki to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour (IHL) for raping a child.
State prosecutor, superintendent Bodwin Msukwa told the court that the child was raped on November 29, 2023.
According to Msukwa, the convict sneaked into the room where the child was sleeping with her cousin and began raping the child.
Msukwa further said the child was whisked away from the jaws of the libidinous man after she shouted for help and the community members responded positively.
But appearing in court, Matiki pleaded not guilty to the charge levelled against him, a development which prompted the state to parade three witnesses who proved the case beyond reasonable doubts.
In mitigation, Matiki asked for court’s leniency saying he has obligations of paying school fees for his siblings.
In his judgement, first grade magistrate Phillip Chibwana meted out the sentence as a strong warning to other would-be offenders.
Matiki hails from Kambadya village, Traditional Authority Nsamala in the same district.
