A 20-year-old man from Hwange avoided a custodial sentence after being convicted by the Hwange Magistrates’ Court for engaging in sexual intercourse with a young person.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), on an unspecified date in May 2025, the victim, a 15-year-old Form Three student, travelled to Mwemba Village to watch a football match.
While waiting for the match to begin, she visited the offender’s residence, where she was invited into his bedroom, and they engaged in sexual intercourse.
The couple continued their sexual activities multiple times. The illicit sexual relationship came to light when the victim invited the offender to her home, and they spent the entire night together.
The victim’s younger sister discovered them in the victim’s bedroom the following morning at around 7 AM and promptly informed their parents. A report was subsequently filed at ZRP Hwange, leading to the offender’s arrest.
The offender was sentenced to 18 months in prison, with 6 months suspended for 5 years. Additionally, 12 months of the sentence was suspended on the condition that he performs 420 hours of community service.
In Zimbabwean law, a young person is legally defined as anyone under the age of 18 years.
This definition was updated in the Criminal Laws Amendment (Protection of Children and Young Persons) Act, 2024 to align with the Constitution.
Previously, the law considered a young person to be under 16 years old, but this left a gap in protection for those aged 16 to 18.
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