Paedophile caught red-handed sleeping next to victim

A 34-YEAR-OLD paedophile, Antony Majaya, from How Mine compound on the outskirts of Bulawayo was slapped with an effective jail term of six years for molesting a nine-year-old girl.

Malaya's crime came to light when he was caught red-handed sleeping next to the complainant in her room by the latter's guardian.

Majaya and the complainant were staying in the same house but in different rooms.

The court proved that on an unknown date but during the months of August and October, accused entered into the complainant's bedroom where she was sleeping with her cousins aged seven and five.

After the busting, Majaya failed to give a satisfactory reason about his mission in the minor's room leading the complainant's guardian to report him to the police.

Following his arrest, it was discovered that he had indecently assaulted the minor girl.

For the offence, he was arraigned before Bulawayo regional magistrate, Trynos Wutawashe, charged with aggravated indecent assault.

He pleaded guilty and was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail.

Majaya will, however, spend six years in jail after four months of the sentence were suspended for four years on condition that he will not within that period commit a similar crime.

In passing the sentence the magistrate took into consideration the fact that cases of aggravated indecent assault mostly involving young people were on the Increase.

He said it was time for courts to impose long jail sentences as deterrent to would be offenders.