A 22-year-old man named Cosmas Magare has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping a 13-year-old girl. Magare, a resident of Machangara Village in Chief Maranda, Mwenezi, will serve an effective 16 years behind bars after being found guilty of the heinous crime.
The incident occurred last Friday around 3 am and within a week justice has already been served.
It is reported that on the day in question, Magare broke into the minor’s homestead by breaking a window and gained entry into the bedroom where she was sleeping. Once inside the house, he closed the minor’s mouth using her school uniform and carried her to the dining room where he raped her. The minor’s 8-year-old sister was sleeping in the same room but did not witness the incident.
The court established that Magare also threatened to murder the minor should she disclose the matter. The minor’s parents, who work and stay in South Africa, were not present at the time of the incident. The minor managed to inform her grandmother about the ordeal in the morning, and they filed a police report leading to Magare’s arrest.
During the trial, Magare denied the charge and alleged that he was in an affair with the minor. He further claimed that he found her being intimate with another man on the day and used a knife to pry open the door and fought the other boyfriend. However, the court did not find his testimony credible and found him guilty of the crime.
A medical report was produced in court, and it showed that the minor had fresh injuries on her vagina and wounds on her right shoulder, consistent with the minor’s testimony. The prosecutor, Ronald Kwangwari, presented compelling evidence that led to Magare’s conviction.
Regional Magistrate Judith Zuyu, who presided over the case, said that the sentence should serve as a deterrent to other would-be offenders. “The accused took advantage of the minor’s vulnerability and violated her rights. This kind of behaviour should not be tolerated in our society. The sentence should send a strong message that such crimes will not go unpunished,” she said.
