A 70-year-old man who worked as a caretaker in Bulawayo’s Montgomery plots has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for ƨǝxuɑlly assaulting a 10-year-old girl. The man lived in the same plot as the victim’s mother and pleaded not guilty, but was convicted and sentenced after a full trial before regional magistrate Dambudzo Malunga.
The magistrate found overwhelming evidence that the man committed the offence and sentenced him to 15 years in prison, with two years suspended for good behaviour. The magistrate stated that the accused was heartless and disregarded his moral duty to protect the minor, who considered him her grandfather since they had lived together for a couple of years.
According to court records, in May of this year, the man called the minor to where he was sitting, asked her to sit on his lap, and then t0uched her privɑtǝ parts. He then took her to his bedr00m and ƨǝxuɑlly assaulted her. The man threatened to kill the girl if she ever told anyone about the ordeal.
Fortunately, the minor girl told her mother what had happened, and the incident was reported to the police, leading to the arrest of the elderly man. This case underscores the importance of protecting minors from ƨǝxuɑl predators and the need for perpetrators to face stiff penalties.
