News / National
Grandpa rapes, impregnates granddaughter
04 Apr 2014 at 12:42hrs | Views
A GWANDA gold panner who raped and impregnated his 13-year-old granddaughter stunned the court when he said she had consented because they were in love.
Josphat Moyo, 46, of Liwowo village in Makwe area told regional magistrate Joseph Mabeza in his defence that he had not raped the girl but she had instead consented.
"Your Worship, I deny that I raped her but admit that we had consensual sex. I love the girl very much," he said.
Moyo was however, convicted of four counts of rape and sentenced to 30 years imprisonment.
He was sentenced to ten years for count one and another ten years for count two. Count three and four were treated as one for purposes of sentence and he was sentenced to another ten years.
Moyo will however, serve an effective 20 years in prison after ten years of the sentence were suspended on condition that he is not within the next five years convicted of a similar offence.
"Rape attracts custodial sentences. In this case what aggravates the offence is the 33 years age difference between the complainant and the accused," said Mabeza in passing the sentence.
The court heard that Moyo and the abused girl had become inseparable as he moved from one panning site to another with her.
Regional prosecutor Johannes Tlou narrated how Moyo raped his step granddaughter on several occasions.
The complainant's mother discovered the offence in January this year when she fell pregnant resulting in her revealing everything leading to Moyo's arrest.
Josphat Moyo, 46, of Liwowo village in Makwe area told regional magistrate Joseph Mabeza in his defence that he had not raped the girl but she had instead consented.
"Your Worship, I deny that I raped her but admit that we had consensual sex. I love the girl very much," he said.
Moyo was however, convicted of four counts of rape and sentenced to 30 years imprisonment.
He was sentenced to ten years for count one and another ten years for count two. Count three and four were treated as one for purposes of sentence and he was sentenced to another ten years.
"Rape attracts custodial sentences. In this case what aggravates the offence is the 33 years age difference between the complainant and the accused," said Mabeza in passing the sentence.
The court heard that Moyo and the abused girl had become inseparable as he moved from one panning site to another with her.
Regional prosecutor Johannes Tlou narrated how Moyo raped his step granddaughter on several occasions.
The complainant's mother discovered the offence in January this year when she fell pregnant resulting in her revealing everything leading to Moyo's arrest.
Source - chronicle
