Zimpapers Logo

Bongokuhle Moyo, Online Reporter

A BEITBRIDGE man (24) was sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping his neighbour’s daughter (5) while his drunk wife was sleeping on the same bed.

In a statement on X, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said, “On 23 December 2023, the complainant’s mother left the complainant in the custody of the accused person’s wife, for a couple of days as she had to go to work out of town. The accused person got home around midnight on the same night and found the complainant sleeping on the same bed as his wife. He sneaked into the blankets and raped the complainant.”

The accused person’s wife said: “she heard the complainant crying but could not react as she was too drunk”.

NPAZ said, “On 25 December, the accused person bought the complainant some mangoes in an attempt to buy her silence. He instructed her to shift the blame onto the other kids who she plays with, in case anyone asked her anything about the incident.”

The accused person’s wife also noted some discharge while she was bathing the complainant but never asked the girl what had happened.

“The matter only came to light when the girl narrated her ordeal to her aunt who encouraged the complainant’s mother to report the matter to the police. The accused person was eventually arrested”, said the NPAZ