School Dropout, 17, And Boy, 13, Avoid Prison For Raping Children As Young As Five

Two teenage offenders left Masvingo Magistrates’ Court on 13 May 2026 with suspended sentences after pleading guilty to separate sexual offences involving young girls.

Magistrate Innocent Bepura dealt with both cases. He said the age of the accused was the deciding factor in not imposing immediate prison terms.

A 17-year-old school dropout from Gutu appeared in court on 13 May 2026, charged with two counts of rape and one count of indecent assault. He pleaded guilty to all three charges.

The court heard that between October 2024 and September 2025, the teenager raped an 11-year-old girl on one occasion and a 13-year-old girl on another. No exact dates were given. The indecent assault charge involved a different 11-year-old girl during the same period.

Magistrate Bepura did not send the accused to prison. He suspended a 10-year prison sentence for five years on condition that the teenager does not commit any further offences. If he reoffends within that period, the full 10-year term will come into effect.

In a separate hearing on the same day, a 13-year-old boy from Chief Madyangove’s area in Chivi pleaded guilty to raping a 5-year-old girl.

The offence happened in February 2024, when the accused was 12. The court heard that the boy forced himself on the child, who lived in the same community.

Given the boy’s age at the time, Magistrate Bepura again ruled against imprisonment. He suspended a five-year custodial sentence for five years. The offender was warned that any similar offence within that period would trigger the full sentence.

“The court is guided by the law, which requires that the age and prospects of rehabilitation of a juvenile offender be considered, ” Bepura said. “While the offences committed are of a very serious nature, the accused are minors whose futures must also be taken into account”

He added: “The court must balance the gravity of the crime with the principle that juvenile justice should prioritise correction over incarceration, but if either of the accused breaches the conditions set by this court, the full weight of the suspended sentences will be imposed without hesitation.”

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