BY STEPHEN CHADENGA
GWERU provincial magistrate Phathekile Msipa last week sentenced to four years in prison a 17-year-old Form 3 student for raping a two-year-old toddler.
The juvenile, who is a repeat offender, will serve seven years after Msipa added three years which were suspended in 2015 when he was convicted of a similar offence.
In passing sentence, Msipa said the teenager deserved a custodial sentence as he had shown no remorse committing another rape barely four years after the courts had suspended a portion of his sentence for a similar offence.
The State’s case was that on April 21 this year, the complainant was playing with the accused’s siblings.
The accused called the toddler into his room, where he raped her once.
When the mother of the girl was bathing her, the toddler complained of some pain on her private parts.
The complainant’s mother examined her and noticed bruises on her private parts.
She reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of the accused. Talent Tadenyika prosecuted.
