Man gets 18 years for defiling a minor

By Ernest Mfunya

Mangochi Senior Resident Magistrate Court on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a 24 years old Billy Safali to 18 years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a nine years old girl contrary to Section 138 of the Penal Code.

During court proceedings, Mangochi Police Station Prosecution Officer, Inspector Amos Mwase told the court that Safali defiled the girl three times in his house from August to September this year at Chilembwe Village in the district, adding that the accused gave the girl cash on several occasion to entice her into sex

The prosecutor added that Safali also cautioned the girl not to reveal the acts else she would lose her mother,

“The girl complained to her mother of pain in her private parts,” said Inspector Mwase, adding that some people also told the girl’s mother that Safali defiled her daughter.

The mother reported the matter to police that arrested Safali and later sent the girl for medical examination that proved that the girl had been defiled.

Appearing before the Senior Resident Magistrate, the accused admitted that he gave the girl cash and food but denied the accusations that he had defiled her.

This prompted the state to bring in three witnesses that testified against him to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he defiled the girl.

Mwase therefore asked the court to give Safali stiff penalty considering nature of the crime, the trauma that rose from physical and psychological torture and increasing cases of defilement in Mangochi.

“The convict also wasted court’s time and resources by denying the charges instead of being remorseful,” said the prosecutor while insisting that Safali deserved custodial sentence to deter would be offenders

In mitigation, the convict asked for the court’s leniency saying this was his first time to commit such offence and that he suffers from ulcers apart from being responsible in caring for his siblings.

“Spare me from tough sentence you should understand that l did this under the influence of alcohol,” he told the court in further mitigation,

Passing sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate, Rodrick Michongwe condemned Safali’s acts saying this was inhuman and that the court could not tolerate the increased cases of defilement in the district.

He therefore sentenced Safali who comes from Chilembwe Village, in the area of Traditional Authority Mponda in Mangochi to 18 years imprisonment with hard labour.

The court is also hearing a case of a 48 years old man who is being accused of defiling a minor

Mana