A 19-YEAR-OLD man from Bulawayo who was jailed 10 years for having anal ƨǝx with a four-year-old boy sh0cked the court when he blamed evil spirits for leading him to commit the offence.
Godfrey Moyo appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Dambudzo Malunga facing a charge of aggravated indecent assault.
He pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Moyo will, however, serve an effective six years after four years were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
When asked by the magistrate why he committed the offence, Moyo said he was influenced by evil spirits to commit the offence.
In coming up with the sentence the magistrate considered that the offence was similar to rɑpǝ and therefore there was a need to deter would-be offenders.
“This case is the same as rɑpǝ on a minor child and thus it calls for a deterrent sentence as it not only dehumanises the boy but it will traumatise him forever.
“What aggravates the offence is the age difference between the accused and the complainant. The mitigatory factor is that the accused is a youthful offender who acted in immaturity,” charged Malunga.
The court heard that the victim’s mother left him in Moyo’s custody while she was going to Umguza.
While Moyo was with the boy, he went on to have anal ƨǝx with him.
When the juvenile’s mother returned, he narrated the whole ordeal to her and the mother reported the matter to the police.
Investigations led to Moyo’s arrest.
A medical report was produced in court which indicated that the child was sodomised.
— BMetro
