However, eight years were suspended for five years on conditions that he does not commit an offence of a similar nature.
Appearing before Masvingo regional magistrate Mrs Esther Murrumba, Leroy Kufirwa pleaded not guilty to all five counts but was convicted after the court found overwhelming evidence against him.
He was charged for raping a Form Four student at St Joseph Tongoona High School.
The State case as presented by Mr Frank Chirairo is that, on 24 June 2011, Kufirwa met the complainant at St Antony High School near Jerera Growth point. The court heard that Kufirwa lied to the girl that he wanted to give her money for a goat he said he had taken, on credit, from her mother.
The girl agreed and the two went to Kufirwa’s homestead. When they arrived, he told the girl to sit in the dining room and she agreed.
While in the dining room the court heard that he stood up and locked the door from inside and put the keys in his pocket.
The court heard that he held her by the hand and pulled her down.
The girl cried for help but no one came to her rescue. Kufirwa forcibly laid the girl on the reed mat and raped her once.
She struggled to push him away and during the struggle she sustained a small laceration on her right  elbow.
On count two, on the same day, after having sexual intercourse with her the court heard that he sat down and rested for few minutes before pushing the girl to the ground and raping her again. He threatened her with unspecified action if she reported what had happened.
On the third count the court heard that Kufirwa, on the same day, like in the second count, after having sexual intercourse with the girl against her consent he rested before pushing her to the ground and raping her.
After having sexual intercourse with the girl without her consent the man, as described in count one to three rested for some minutes before raping her again.
On count five, the court further heard that on 25 June 2011, the girl spent the whole day locked in the man’s house. While in the house, the court heard that the man told the girl that she was pregnant so she was not supposed to move away from his homestead.
From the 25 to 29 June 2011 the man raped the girl on different occasions.
On 10 July 2011, the girl’s mother followed her daughter and found her at Chikarudzo area in Morgenster, Masvingo where she was staying with the man’s mother.
On the same day, the mother took the girl to her homestead where the girl told her that she had been sexually abused by Kufirwa while locked up for several days in his house.
The girl was taken to the police where a report was made leading to the man’s arrest. The girl was also referred to the hospital for a medical examination.

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