The Principle Resident Magistrate court sitting at Lilongwe has convicted and sentenced a 25-year-old man, Emmanuel Kapa, for having sexual intercourse and impregnating a 16-year-old secondary school girl.
Lilongwe Police Prosecutor Sub Inspector Vincent Ntalawe, told the court that the convict committed the offence between the month of February and June this year.
Ntalawe said that Kapa (convict), hooked the girl in February, from Mchinji where she was doing her secondary education on self-boarding basis, to Chinsapo in Lilongwe, where they started staying together as a couple.
It was until June this year when the school’s headteacher contacted the girl’s parents, after he became suspicious of the girl’s prolonged missing from school.
Later, winds of the girl’s whereabouts blew on the parents who later tipped Lilongwe Police Station leading to Kapa’s arrest at Chinsapo location.
In court Kapa pleaded not guilty to the charge of Having Sexual Intercourse with a Child. However, the State paraded four witnesses to secure conviction.
In mitigation, the convict prayed for leniency to the court when passing its sentence saying that he is a family man.
But the State through Ntalawe submitted to the court that apart from ruining the girl’s future by denying her the right to education, the convict subjected the girl to both physical and emotional trauma citing the pregnancy and miscarriage she suffered.
Passing his sentence, Principle Resident Magistrate Rodrick Michongwe concurred with the State. Michongwe then went on to slap Kapa with a 15-year jail term.
Emmanuel Kapa (convict) hails from Namadidi Village, Traditional Authority Mulumbe in Zomba District.
