Zimpapers Logo

Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter
A PRISONER serving a jail term for rape and indecent assault at Khami Maximum Prison yesterday pleaded guilty to sodomising a fellow inmate whom he allegedly threatened to kill.
Obert Sibanda, 31, from Plumtree, who is facing two counts of aggravated indecent assault, admitted to regional magistrate Mark Dzira that he sodomised a 23-year-old inmate who woke up with semen on his privates.

“I do admit that I sexually abused an inmate in August and I plead guilty to the aggravated indecent assault charges laid on me,” said Sibanda.

He, however, denied that he sodomised another inmate aged 42 saying he was being framed as the victim was aware that Sibanda once sexually abused another man.

“I deny sodomising the other inmate. He woke up with semen on his privates while I was sleeping next to him and since he knew I had sodomised someone, he then concluded that I had sexually abused him,” said Sibanda.

In his testimony, the man told the court that Sibanda slept next to him and that he sodomised him. “I was sleeping next to him and we were separated by bottles. When I woke up, I felt something hot on my anus and discovered that it was semen,” he said.

“Since he was sleeping next to me, I told Sibanda about what had just happened and he simply covered himself with blankets. I then woke up and notified other inmates and that is when prison guards came and shifted Sibanda to another cell.”

Magistrate Dzira remanded Sibanda in custody to October 28.

Prosecuting, Tinashe Dzipe told how Sibanda would make life miserable for the two men who are aged 23 and 42 with whom he shared a cell at the prison.

He said on August 29 this year, Sibanda and the 23-year-old victim were sleeping in separate blankets when he woke up and sneaked into the victim’s blankets.

“The victim woke up and found Sibanda in his blankets and there was semen on his anus. He then confronted Sibanda demanding for an explanation,” said Dzipe.

Sibanda apologised and the victim reported the matter to a prison officer the following morning but the matter was allegedly swept under the carpet.

The court heard that on September 14 shortly after midnight, the other victim aged 42 was sleeping when he started experiencing anal pain. He woke up and discovered that his buttocks were stained with semen. He then spotted Sibanda as he was returning to his blankets and became suspicious.

A report was made to prison authorities and Sibanda was arrested.

The court heard that Sibanda was in the habit of waking his victims and sodomising them before threatening to kill them if they reported the matter.