Primary School Teacher Gets  10 Years Imprisonment for Defiling Standard 8 Student

The Magistrate’s Court in Salima has sentenced a 32 year old primary school teacher, Dunken Phiri, to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour after finding him guilty of defiling a 16 year old Standard 8 student.

State Prosecutor Justice Manolo told the court that on 2 February, the young girl attended afternoon remedial classes at Kapiri Primary School. Around 6:00 PM, Phiri called the student into his office and promised her that he would ensure she passed her upcoming examinations if she consented to sleep with him. The two then went into a nearby maize field, unaware that other students were secretly following them.

According to the prosecution, after realizing that his actions had been discovered, Phiri fled the area. He remained on the run until 23 May, when law enforcement tracked him down and arrested him in Mnema Village.

Appearing in court, Phiri pleaded guilty to the charge of defilement. In his mitigation, he pleaded for leniency, asking the court to hand down a lighter sentence on the grounds that he is a family man with responsibilities.

However, presiding Magistrate Imran Phiri concurred with Prosecutor Manolo’s submissions, stating that as a teacher, the convict had a duty to protect his students instead of abusing them. The Magistrate emphasized that such behavior warrants a harsh penalty and subsequently handed down the 10 year prison sentence to serve as a strong warning to other educators.