A 36-year- old man, Pitilizani Luka who comes from Malimbwe Village Traditional Authority Malili in Lilongwe District, has been sent to jail for the next 21 years by the Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court after finding him guilty of defiling his own stepdaughter, aged 15.
Lilongwe Police Station deputy Public Relations Officer Sub Inspector Foster Benjamin has confirmed saying the convict used to sexually attack the child when her mother was away selling sugarcane.
Through State Prosecutor Inspector Rodney Bottoman the court heard that the convict had been defiling the girl from 2018 to 2021 at his house in Traditional Authority Malili in the district.
He was nearly caught in the act in April last year when the wife had returned home for lunch but reported the husband to police, leading to his arrest.
Luka pleaded not guilty to defilement in court but the state paraded five witnesses to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
In mitigation, Luka pleaded with the court to be lenient to him citing huge family obligations but the state asked for a stiffer punishment, arguing Luka was supposed to protect his stepdaughter as a father, rather than defiling and subjecting her to trauma to the agreement of Chief Resident Magistrate Patrick Chirwa who quashed the mitigations.
Chirwa went on convicting and sentencing Luka to 21 years imprisonment with hard labour to deter other would be offenders.
