Man jailed 8 years for having sexual intercourse with a minor

The Midima First Grade Magistrate (FGM) court has convicted and sentenced a 32 year-old man, Thomas Nkumbira to 8 years imprisonment with hard labour for having carnal knowledge of a 15 year-old girl at Madulira Village, Traditional Authority Machinjiri in Blantyre.

State Prosecutor from Limbe Police Station, Sergeant Noah Rapozo, informed the court that since June 2025, the mother of the victim noticed a strange behavior from her daughter, who used to come home late each time she was sent on an errand and this prompted her father to inquire about her sudden change of behavior.

Sergeant Rapozo further told the court that the victim revealed to her father that the convict was the one who was delaying her by taking her to a certain bathroom at Madulira market, where he was having sex with her on several occasions in June 2025.

The matter was reported to Limbe Police Station, where investigations led to the arrest of the convict after a medical examination from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital confirmed that the minor had been sexually abused.

During court appearance, Nkumbira pleaded not guilty to the charge of having sexual intercourse with a minor (contravening section 138 (1) of the penal code), prompting the state to parade four witnesses who testified against him beyond reasonable doubt.

The convict pleaded for mercy, claiming to be a first time offender, and asked for leniency. However, the state requested that the court consider a stiffer punishment, as the malpractice was becoming increasingly rampant in the country.

When passing sentence, First Grade Magistrate Lameck Mkwapatila concurred with the state and highlighted that a stiffer punishment would deter other would-be offenders. Therefore, he slapped Nkumbila with an 8-year jail sentence with hard labour.

Thomas Nkumbira hails from Khwethemule Village, Traditional Authority Changata in Thyolo.