News / National
Man (35) guilty of raping a baby-carrying married woman
02 Mar 2012 at 20:53hrs | Views
A Rusape man, Goshom Mhukayesango (35) from Chigwedere Village under Chief Tandi will spend the next 20 years behind bars after he was found guilty of raping a baby-carrying married woman in a graveyard.
Mhukayesango pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape when he appeared before regional magistrate, Mr Clever Tsikwa on Wednesday.
However, the State led by Area Prosecutor, Mr Tirivanhu Mutyasira, presented overwhelming evidence against Mhukayesango.
Mr Mutyasira said the incident happened on December 13, 2012 at around 6pm.
"On the said date, Mhukayesango and the complainant boarded the same vehicle in Rusape on their way to Tandi.
"The victim got into the vehicle after she had failed to get transport to Workfield where her husband works. On arrival at Musariri Business Centre at around 8pm, the woman and the accused disembarked from the vehicle," he said.
Muhukayesango then promised the woman that he would show her directions to Chikutu homestead where she wanted to put up for the night.
However, instead of leading her to the said homestead, he led her to his house.
On arrival at his house, he unlocked the door and told the woman that he was alone at home.
"The woman told him that she did not want to stay at his house, but wanted to go to Chituku homestead. She started walking away.
"Mhukayesango followed her and caught up with her near a graveyard. He forcibly untied a cloth which the woman had used to strap her baby on her back. The baby fell down; he tripped the woman to the ground.
"At this point, he produced a knife and threatened to kill her if she screamed for help. He raped her once and left.
"The woman got up. Still confused about what had befallen her, the woman started looking for accommodation to put up for the night.
"Little did she know that the direction she took led to the house of the man who had raped her at the graveyard. When she reached the accused's homestead, he opened the door and locked her in. He then raped her again three times the whole night.
"At around 6am, the accused left, but locked the woman and the baby inside. However, the woman managed to break the door and reported the matter to the police leading to the accused's arrest," said Mr Mutyasira.
Mhukayesango agreed that he had sex with the woman, but said it was consensual.
He said the woman was a hooker who had charged him $5 for the whole night.
The problem only arose, he said, after the woman demanded that he pay her $10 after she had discovered that he had $40 in his pockets.
He argued that in a bid to fix him, the woman then made up the rape story.
However, the court did not buy his defence on the basis that the woman was a married person and there was no way she could make public her promiscuous relationship by reporting Mhukayaesango to the police so that her husband would discover it.
Mr Tsikwa suspended two years of the sentence on the condition that he does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.
Mhukayesango pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape when he appeared before regional magistrate, Mr Clever Tsikwa on Wednesday.
However, the State led by Area Prosecutor, Mr Tirivanhu Mutyasira, presented overwhelming evidence against Mhukayesango.
Mr Mutyasira said the incident happened on December 13, 2012 at around 6pm.
"On the said date, Mhukayesango and the complainant boarded the same vehicle in Rusape on their way to Tandi.
"The victim got into the vehicle after she had failed to get transport to Workfield where her husband works. On arrival at Musariri Business Centre at around 8pm, the woman and the accused disembarked from the vehicle," he said.
Muhukayesango then promised the woman that he would show her directions to Chikutu homestead where she wanted to put up for the night.
However, instead of leading her to the said homestead, he led her to his house.
On arrival at his house, he unlocked the door and told the woman that he was alone at home.
"The woman told him that she did not want to stay at his house, but wanted to go to Chituku homestead. She started walking away.
"Mhukayesango followed her and caught up with her near a graveyard. He forcibly untied a cloth which the woman had used to strap her baby on her back. The baby fell down; he tripped the woman to the ground.
"At this point, he produced a knife and threatened to kill her if she screamed for help. He raped her once and left.
"The woman got up. Still confused about what had befallen her, the woman started looking for accommodation to put up for the night.
"Little did she know that the direction she took led to the house of the man who had raped her at the graveyard. When she reached the accused's homestead, he opened the door and locked her in. He then raped her again three times the whole night.
"At around 6am, the accused left, but locked the woman and the baby inside. However, the woman managed to break the door and reported the matter to the police leading to the accused's arrest," said Mr Mutyasira.
Mhukayesango agreed that he had sex with the woman, but said it was consensual.
He said the woman was a hooker who had charged him $5 for the whole night.
The problem only arose, he said, after the woman demanded that he pay her $10 after she had discovered that he had $40 in his pockets.
He argued that in a bid to fix him, the woman then made up the rape story.
However, the court did not buy his defence on the basis that the woman was a married person and there was no way she could make public her promiscuous relationship by reporting Mhukayaesango to the police so that her husband would discover it.
Mr Tsikwa suspended two years of the sentence on the condition that he does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.
Source - MP
