Man jailed for violating 12-year-old neighbour

A 21-year-old Mutasa man has been sentenced to 15 years in jail after he was found guilty of raping a his 12-year-old neighbour.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the case was presented to the Magistrate’s Court in Mutare as below:

Some time in the month of December 2022 the 12 year old complainant was herding cattle from the grazing area on her way home when she met the accused person who was employed as a domestic worker by the complainant’s neighbor. The accused person dragged the complainant into a nearby bush where he tripped her to the ground before he raped her. The complainant screamed and this drew the attention of her grandmother who rushed to the scene and found the accused person in the process of committing the offence. The accused person ran away when he noticed the complainant’s grandmother approaching.

The complainant’s grandmother reported the matter to the village head and nothing was done. An anonymous report was then made to the Department of Social Development who then reported to the Police. Police investigations led to the arrest of the accused person.