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Liwonde Senior Resident Magistrate Court has sentenced a 29-year-old man to 16 years imprisonment with hard labour for defilement.
The court sitting on Monday, sentenced Mustafa Madetsa Khumbadzi, after he was found guilty of defiling a girl aged 13.
The court through state prosecutor, Inspector Cliff Kalawa heard that, in June 2021, the accused, who happens to be the herbalist and a neighbor to the victim’s parents started proposing to the girl and in July the accused started sleeping with the victim.
Inspector Kalawa told the court that in the evening of September 12 this year, the girl went missing.
“After the parents asked her sister about her where about, she revealed that she had gone to the herbalist house where she had been invited. The parents followed her and found the victim in the house of the herbalist and the herbalist fled,” explained the state prosecutor.
According to the Inspector Cliff Kawala, the victim was referred to the hospital for medical examination which revealed that she was two months pregnant and the convict was responsible.
Although the accused had denied the defilement charge, the state paraded four witnesses who proved the case against him beyond any reasonable doubt.
In mitigation, the convict asked for a lenient sentence saying he is a bread winner to his family and is a sick person due to the road accident he was once involved.
Senior Resident Magistrate Chande concurred with the state which asked for stiffer sentence as such cases are becoming rampant in the country and that the victim is young to carry a pregnancy and it is a burden.
He then sentenced the convict to 16 years imprisonment with hard labour.
Mustafa Madetsa Khumbadzi hails from Mwawa Village, Traditional Authority Mlomba in Machinga District.
