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Codelia Mondela, Court Reporter
A MAN from Nkayi allegedly raped a 13-year-old juvenile whom he had invited to stay at his homestead with his granddaughter.

A court heard that the man allegedly raped the minor and gave her a dollar in January last year.

Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Crispen Mberewere did not ask the accused to plead and remanded him in custody to March 5.

Prosecuting, Mr Simbarashe Manyiwa alleged that the minor approached the accused after he informed some people that he was looking for a girl to stay with his granddaughter.

Mr Manyiwa said the accused agreed to accommodate the minor since his homestead was near her school.

“Sometime in January, the accused instructed the juvenile not to go to school and remained behind with her. He sent the juvenile to his bedroom hut to look for his cell phone and followed behind.

He pushed the juvenile onto the bed and allegedly raped her once. He then gave her a dollar and told her not to reveal the assault to anyone,” Mr Manyiwa said.

The court heard that the matter came to light seven months later after the minor was assaulted by her aunt and she fled to the accused’s homestead where she spent the night.

The following day her aunt asked where she had spent the night and she said she had slept at the accused’s home.

Her aunt became suspicious and when she questioned her she confessed that she had been raped. — MondelaC.