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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent 

AN 18-year-old man from Filabusi has been jailed eight years for fondling his friend’s wife and inserting his finger into her privates.

Wayne Sibanda of Bekezela Township went to his friend’s house at around 4AM while the wife was alone and committed the crime.

Sibanda pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated indecent assault when he appeared before Gwanda regional magistrate, Mr Mark Dzira, but was convicted due to overwhelming evidence. 

He was sentenced to eight years imprisonment and three were suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within the next five years.

In his defence, Sibanda said his friend’s wife, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, called him to her house in the middle of the night while her husband was not around and tried to seduce him.

“I deny the allegations levelled against me Your Worship as I didn’t touch this woman as she has alleged. She is the one who called me on my cell phone in the middle of the night at around 1AM asking about the whereabouts of her husband as he was not home.

“I told her that I didn’t know and she then asked me to come to her house. I refused to go there seeing that it was in the middle of the night, even though she insisted. I then went to her house at around 6AM to collect my work helmet that I had given to her husband. I found her lying on the bed and she opened the blankets revealing her naked body and invited me to have sexual intercourse with her. Instead I didn’t touch her at all but I left the house,” he said.

Prosecuting, Mr Mncedisi Dube said Sibanda went to the complainant’s home on December 17 last year at around 4AM.

He said Sibanda knocked on the door and told the complainant that he had come to collect his helmet.

Mr Dube said the complainant opened the door and Sibanda collected his helmet and then asked if the complainant’s husband was around.

He said upon hearing that the man of the house was not around, Sibanda approached the complainant who was lying in bed and fondled her breasts and inserted his finger in her private parts.

Mr Dube said the complainant screamed which forced Sibanda to leave the house.

He said the complainant reported the incident to her husband and the matter was reported to the police resulting in Sibanda’s arrest.

In her statement in court, the complainant denied calling Sibanda in the middle of the night and inviting him to her house. She also denied inviting him to have sexual intercourse with her.

—@DubeMatutu