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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
A 12-YEAR-OLD boy from Hwange has told a magistrate that he raped a four-year-old girl from a neighbouring house due to the influence of watching pornographic material.

Hwange regional magistrate Mrs Dambudzo Malunga lashed out at the boy’s parents for failing to guide and discipline the boy.

A probation officer’s report availed in court stated that the boy, whose name has been withheld for legal reasons, was in the habit of watching pornographic material in the absence of his parents.

His father, an ex-soldier, is always away from home and his mother spends most of her time outside the country as a cross border trader.

The report stated that the boy lacked supervision.  “You will raise a monster if you continue with such parenting skills where you don’t monitor your children. The next time he appears before me facing similar charges I will send him to jail,” the magistrate said.

The boy had pleaded guilty to one count of rape.

Mrs Malunga sentenced him to receive two strokes with a rattan cane.  The magistrate also slapped him with a two-year jail term that was suspended on condition of good behaviour for the next five years.

Prosecuting, Mr Tomupei Mbiza said the girl was left by her mother at her attacker’s place as she went to the girl’s school for consultation.

The girl is an Early Childhood Development pupil at a local school. “On September 16 last year at 12 noon, the complainant was left at the accused’s place of residence by her mother as she went for consultation at her school. The little girl was playing in the yard with other children and she entered a bedroom whereupon the accused followed her,” said Mr Mbiza.

He said the boy undressed and raped the girl once in the presence of her younger brother.

The matter came to light when the complainant’s younger brother told their father what had happened.

@ncubeleon