A 28-YEAR-OLD man was sentenced to 5 years for sleeping with his nephew several times purporting that he was curing his HIV status by sleeping with the minor.
The convict was convicted by Guruve magistrate Shingirai Mutiro in Zimbabwe on Friday and he suspended one year for contravening Section 70 of the Criminal law and Codification Act.
Prosecutor Carson Kundiona told the court that on January 2 and at Disi farm, the 15-year-old girl eloped to his uncle’s house after falling pregnant. On January 5 the father to the complainant followed her daughter and filed a police report leading to the suspect’s arrest.
The complainant told the court that her uncle sneaked in her bedroom hut for a long time and persuaded her to have unprotected sex so that he can be cured of his HIV status.
“Your worship, I consented to the sexual intercourse because my uncle had begged me, saying that he would be cured of HIV if I have sexual intercourse with him. Subsequently, he would wake me up and sneak me into his room and we would have unprotected sex,” said the complainant.
In his defense, the accused insisted that although he was unaware of the complainant’s age, he had been misled by the fact that the complainant had previously cohabited with three different men as husband and wife.
However, the complainant’s father told the court that he had previously informed the convict of the complainant’s age.
Kundiona told the magistrate to give the convict a deterrent sentence.
“This offense is aggravated by the fact that the accused took advantage of the close relationship he shares with the complainant. Instead of protecting the complainant, he sexually abused her and exposed her to the risk of acquiring HIV and other STIs. A lengthy custodial sentence will send a strong message to like-minded people that are abusing young girls in a bid to cure HIV at grave consequences.”
Source: OccupyGh.com
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