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Midlands Bureau Chief
A 62-year-old Shurugwi man allegedly attempted to buy his freedom by offering US$5 to the uncle of a nine-year-old girl who walked on him while he was raping the niece.

The man, the court heard, allegedly raped the minor in her mother’s kitchen as she was giving him water to drink.

Instead of drinking the water, the man allegedly raped the girl while her siblings were playing outside.

Her uncle only came in as the man was raping the girl before dressing up and offered him a US$5 bribe to conceal the matter.

This was heard yesterday when the man appeared before Gweru regional magistrate Mrs Phathekile Msipa facing one count of rape.

He pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody to today for judgement.

It is the State’s case that on November 6 last year at around 11am, the complainant was playing with her two siblings aged seven and one year at a road near their homestead.

Their mother had gone to a funeral wake.

The court heard that the man, who was walking along the road saw the minors and asked the complainant for water to drink.

The man allegedly gave the complainant’s seven-year-old brother his catapult and asked him to shoot some birds.

While inside the kitchen, the man sat on the bench while the complainant fetched him water.

When she brought him the water the man allegedly asked her to sit on his thighs and she complied.

He allegedly started removing the minor’s clothes but she resisted and tried to flee.