A 51-YEAR-OLD Gweru man has been jailed for an effective 19 years after he was convicted of raping and indecently assaulting his 12-year-old stepdaughter.
Gweru regional magistrate Christopher Maturure said the man (name withheld to protect identity of minor) betrayed the trust bestowed in him as a father and sexually abused the girl.
“The accused betrayed the trust placed in him as a family member. He is, therefore, sentenced to 12 months in prison for indecent assault and 18 years for rape. He will serve an effective jail term of 19 years,” Maturure said.
It was the State’s case hat in 2021, when the minor was in Grade 7, the man told her that he loved her and that she was “good as a wife.”
The court heard that he fondled the minor’s breasts and back despite the complainant’s protests.
The court further heard that in April last year, the man ordered the complainant’s younger sister out of a room and caressed the minor's breasts and back.
He pushed the girl onto the bed, removed her clothing and raped her once before he threatened the minor that if she disclosed the matter to anyone she would be made a housemaid.
The complainant kept the abuse to herself for some time and only disclosed her ordeal to her aunt in January this year.
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The minor was medically examined and the sexual abuse was confirmed.
The matter was reported to the police leading to the man's arrest.
