A 14-year-old boy who beat a nine-year-old Tsholotsho girl who made headlines last year for being seven months pregnant was given a three-year sentence with all of it suspended.
The 14-year-old child from Masekesa Line in Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North Province, whose identity has been concealed, appeared before Bulawayo Regional magistrate Joseph Mabeza on Friday for a full trial and entered a guilty plea.
The young man was represented by Macharaga Law Chambers attorneys Task Vhiki and Mary Nyika.
In an effort to lessen the penalty, the boy's attorneys claimed that since his childhood had been erased by the time he turned 14 and became a father, he had already suffered enough punishment.
He became a parent at a young age, which the attorneys claimed had an impact on him academically and damaged his standing in the community.
The youngster was found guilty by the magistrate and given a three-year sentence that was completely suspended. Mr. Mabeza took the fact that the victim and the teen boy are relatives into account while deciding on the sentencing.
The magistrate said that a kid was conceived as a result of the couple's "x," and given his age, the youngster has now become a parent.
Mr. Mabeza also saw that the youth was young and could not be imprisoned with experienced offenders, therefore he gave him a sentence that was entirely suspended.
The victim and the boy are cousins, and at some point in February of last year, the child and her two sisters—who were eight and fourteen at the time—visited and stayed with their relative.
The third-grade student slept in the kitchen with her sisters, while the adolescent male did the same but by himself. The youngster got up in the middle of the night, crept under the minor's covers, and raped her, according to testimony given in court.
The youngster kept her cousin's rape a secret from everyone until her mother became concerned when she noticed her tummy expanding and brought her to Tsholotsho District Hospital for a pregnancy test.
The girl tested positive, and an examination revealed that she was seven months pregnant, according to the testimony given in court.
Her mother then called the police to report the event. The Victim Friendly Unit (VFU) police officer questioned her while she was in the police station to find out who could have impregnated her, but she was unable to identify the offender.
The young person was brought to the Department of Social Welfare, where she got counseling and was later placed in Sanders Johns Centre for protection.
The victim gave birth last November 14th. During an interview with a police officer, she admitted to having been raped by her 14-year-old cousin.
He was arrested when DNA testing revealed that he had caused her to get pregnant.
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