Grandfather (66) jailed for raping granddaughter (13)

A 66-year-old man from Insuza in Matabeleland North Province who raped his 13-year-old granddaughter was yesterday sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The man had denied the charge claiming that there was bad blood between him and the girl's family but former Bulawayo regional magistrate, Mrs Fadzai Mthombeni, convicted him.

Mrs Mthombeni, who is in Bulawayo to complete her partly heard cases, suspended two years of his sentence for five years on condition that he is not within that period convicted of a similar offence.

Addressing the court before sentence, the prosecutor, Mr Jabulani Mhlanga, urged the court to take into account that the elderly man had at some stage tried to conceal the crime.

The man's lawyer, Miss Nonhlanhla Moyo, of SKM Sibanda and Partners urged the court to take into account her client's advanced age and pleaded with the court to lean towards leniency.

In its judgment the court threw out his defence of bad blood between the man and the girl's family, arguing that if there was such bad blood then her mother would not have asked the complainant to ask for onions from him.

The State case was that on 18 November last year, the victim was sent by her mother together with another child to the grandfather's homestead to ask for onions from his wife.

She entered his sleeping hut in the company of the other child and they found a half onion and called him and he came and gave them another full one.

He sent the other child to go and collect water for him to drink and was left with the victim.

The State proved that he grabbed her around the waist, laid her on the bed and removed her panties. He then raped her resulting in the victim screaming and attracting the attention of her grandmother who was outside.

He released the victim and she rushed out of the sleeping hut and went and informed her mother. A report was then made to the police leading to the his arrest.

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