News / National
Serial rapist gets 8 more years behind bars
24 Jun 2013 at 07:23hrs | Views
HARARE - A Mabvuku serial rapist currently serving 35 years in prison has been slapped with a further eight-year jail term after a High Court judge said the magistrate's sentence was incompetent.
Tafadzwa Dindi had initially been jailed for 43 years before eight years were suspended on condition of good behaviour after being convicted on three counts of rape and five counts of armed robbery.
However, High Court judge Felistas Chatukuta, who reviewed the sentence, set aside the magistrate's February 2012 ruling on the first three counts.
"The conviction of the accused in all the eight counts and the sentence with respect to the last five counts (armed robbery) is proper. I am however, concerned with the sentence for the first three counts (rape).
"The three counts were taken as one for sentence. However, it is clear the offences were committed at different times and on different occasions.
"It is not competent for the court a quo to have treated the three counts as one for sentence," said Chatukuta.
Dindi was arrested after going on a raping spree, targeting unsuspecting lovebirds in Mabvuku for two years, during which he also committed a series of robberies.
The 35-year-old man would pounce on lovers and hit the man with a knobkerrie or an iron bar before robbing the couple of their valuables.
After striking the man Dindi would proceed to rape the woman.
Prosecutors told the court Dindi attacked a 26-year-old woman after spotting her sitting with her boyfriend in a vehicle that was parked at an open space in Mabvuku in January 2010.
The man went outside to relieve himself and met Dindi who struck him twice with a knobkerrie and he fell down.
Dindi stripped the man and stole $110 before ordering the woman to disembark from the car and force-marched her to a secluded place where he raped her.
The court heard Dindi used the same modus operandi between February and March 2011 and attacked 10 other couples on different occasions.
In all the incidents, Dindi stole various properties including cell phones and cash from the victims.
Reports on the matter were filed with the police, leading to Dindi's arrest after a tip-off from members of the public.
Tafadzwa Dindi had initially been jailed for 43 years before eight years were suspended on condition of good behaviour after being convicted on three counts of rape and five counts of armed robbery.
However, High Court judge Felistas Chatukuta, who reviewed the sentence, set aside the magistrate's February 2012 ruling on the first three counts.
"The conviction of the accused in all the eight counts and the sentence with respect to the last five counts (armed robbery) is proper. I am however, concerned with the sentence for the first three counts (rape).
"The three counts were taken as one for sentence. However, it is clear the offences were committed at different times and on different occasions.
"It is not competent for the court a quo to have treated the three counts as one for sentence," said Chatukuta.
Dindi was arrested after going on a raping spree, targeting unsuspecting lovebirds in Mabvuku for two years, during which he also committed a series of robberies.
The 35-year-old man would pounce on lovers and hit the man with a knobkerrie or an iron bar before robbing the couple of their valuables.
After striking the man Dindi would proceed to rape the woman.
Prosecutors told the court Dindi attacked a 26-year-old woman after spotting her sitting with her boyfriend in a vehicle that was parked at an open space in Mabvuku in January 2010.
The man went outside to relieve himself and met Dindi who struck him twice with a knobkerrie and he fell down.
Dindi stripped the man and stole $110 before ordering the woman to disembark from the car and force-marched her to a secluded place where he raped her.
The court heard Dindi used the same modus operandi between February and March 2011 and attacked 10 other couples on different occasions.
In all the incidents, Dindi stole various properties including cell phones and cash from the victims.
Reports on the matter were filed with the police, leading to Dindi's arrest after a tip-off from members of the public.
Source - Daily News
