A 43-YEAR-OLD man from Dakamela village, Nkayi South, was sentenced to 18 years in jail for raping a teenager.
The convict George Moyo pleaded not guilty when he appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Joseph Mabeza.
In his ruling, Mabeza said Moyo betrayed the trust of the teenager aged 16 who had approached him seeking help and he raped her.
The magistrate sentenced him to 18 years in jail for rape.
He ordered Moyo to pay US$200 for escaping from police custody handcuffed.
The court was told that on June 23 last year, the complainant approached Moyo seeking accommodation for the night.
Moyo accommodated her in one of the rooms and at night he woke her up saying he wanted to take her to a police station where she could get assistance.
Along the way, Moyo allegedly raped her several times. When they arrived at the police station, he accused the girl of stealing from him.
The girl then revealed that she had been raped by Moyo.
Moyo was detained, but he escaped from the police custody while in handcuffs. He was re-arrested later.
