The Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dowa has sentenced a 27-year-old man for raping a child aged 14.
Police have identified the convict as Chikumbutso Kholowa.
The court through state prosecutor Sub Inspector Ezara Bakili heard that the convict, Kholowa, on March 18, 2021 at Kankhande Village in Dowa District raped the 14-year-old girl.
It was also revealed in court that Kholowa asked the victim if she plays netball of which she admitted. He then told the victim that he will give her charms for her to be playing netball in a peculiar way.
Kholowa produced some charms and started rubbing the breasts of the victim before raping her in the maize field.
Appearing before court, Kholowa pleaded not guilty to the charges of defilement and indecent assault.
This, however, prompted the state to parade three witnesses who proved the case beyond reasonable doubt, leading to his conviction.
In his submission, state prosecutor Sub Inspector Ezara Bakili asked the court to mete out a stiff punishment to the offender, saying the offences committed are serious in nature and that cases of defilement are rampant in the district, hence the need to pass a stiff punishment to the offender as a warning to other would-be offenders.
Presiding over the case, Senior Resident Magistrate Agnes Sekandiwana concurred with the state’s submission for a stiff punishment and sentenced the convict to 16 years imprisonment with hard labour for the first count of defilement and 5 years imprisonment with hard labour for the second count of indecent assault.
The convict, Chikumbutso Kholowa, comes from Kankhande Village in the area of Traditional Authority Mkukula in Dowa District.
