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Patience Mutsiwi Midlands Reporter
A FRAIL 13-year-old HIV positive boy from Zvishavane, who raped five pupils one after the other, yesterday walked scot free because of ill-health.

The Grade Seven pupil from Kwirirai Village in Zvishavane, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, is on Anti Retroviral Viral (ARV) treatment.

A court heard the boy waylaid the five Grade Two pupils when they were on their way from school.

He allegedly detained them at a bush, stripped them naked and raped them.

The boy appeared before Gweru Regional Magistrate Mr Morgan Nemadire facing five counts of rape.

He pleaded guilty to all the counts.

Mr Nemadire treated the counts as one for sentencing.

He sentenced the teen to a wholly suspended five year sentence on condition of good behaviour.

In passing sentence Mr Nemadire said he had considered the fact that the teenage boy was ailing

“I had thought of sending you to Hwahwa Prison for juveniles so that you receive strokes with a rattan cane but I have seen a weakling in you. You might collapse while receiving your punishment, thus l will sentence you to five years imprisonment, which are wholly suspended for five years on condition that you will not commit a similar offence,” said Mr Nemadire.

Prosecuting, Mr Andrew Marimo told the court that sometime in January at around 2pm near Kandodo Primary School in Kwirirai Village, Zvishavane, the accused saw the complainants coming from school.

Mr Marimo said the boy called out to the children.

“The accused person ordered the pupils to sit down. He then undressed the first victim and raped her once while her classmates watched. The accused then raped the other four pupils one after the other and once done, he ordered them to go home,” he said.

Mr Marimo said one of the victims reported the matter to her parents but they did not believe her story.

He said another victim suffered some pains on her private parts and reported to her mother who then examined her.

“The mother noticed that she had been sexually abused. She made a report to the village head who then reported the rape to the police,” said Mr Marimo.

This led to the arrest of the accused and the complainant disclosed that her other four friends were also raped by the same accused.

The complainants were medically examined at Zvishavane District Hospital and it was established that they were not infected with any Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) including HIV.