A 19-year-old man from Bikita has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Masvingo Regional Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of raping his 73-year-old grandmother.
The offender, whose name has been withheld, appeared before Regional Magistrate Innocent Bepura following his arrest for raping his grandmother at her homestead in Chief Mazungunye’s area on 16 January 2024, at around 11 pm.
In delivering judgment, Magistrate Bepura said the convict had committed a grave offence, particularly given the advanced age of his victim.
“It is not in dispute that sexual intercourse occurred, but the issue is of consent. The complainant’s evidence shows that force was used,” said Bepura.
The convict told the court that he had been in a relationship with his grandmother since his primary school years and claimed their sexual encounters were consensual.
He further alleged that his grandmother only reported the matter after he failed to buy her a blanket.
Prosecutor Innocent Mudzingwa told the court that the grandmother had been asleep when her grandson knocked on her door, claiming he had been sent by a relative from Masvingo.
When she tried to open the door, she noticed that he had partially covered his face with a cloth. As she attempted to close the door, he overpowered her, forced entry, and raped her once. During the attack, the cloth fell away, allowing her to identify him.
The woman tried to scream for help, alerting neighbours who rushed to her homestead, but the convict had already fled. A police report was subsequently filed.
More: Masvingo Mirror
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