Female 'rapist' jailed

A 44-YEAR-OLD Nkayi woman was yesterday jailed 15 years for seducing and bedding her teenage herdsboy.

Bahle Msipa seduced the 17-year-old herd boy, bedded him twice and offered him money and a cow to conceal the matter.

Passing sentence yesterday, regional magistrate Sibongile Msipa-Marondedze said she would treat the two counts of aggravated indecent assault as one for purposes of sentence.

"In coming up with the appropriate sentence the court considered the fact that the accused isn't married, unemployed and a first offender. Aggravated indecent assault is a very serious offence and prevalent these days," said magistrate Msipa-Marondedze.

"The only suitable sentence for this offense is imprisonment. You're therefore sentenced to 15 years in prison of which five years are suspended for five years on condition that you don't commit any offence of a sexual nature within that period."

Msipa made sexual advances to the teenager after he was hired as a herdsboy and was in the habit of urinating undressing in his presence.

She pleaded not guilty to both counts and claimed she was in love with the herdsboy.

"I was in love with him and I got arrested as I was trying to recover some money that he stole from me. He proposed love and I told him I was too old for him. He persisted saying he had experience as he had bedded several older women," said Msipa.

"I gave in and we started seeing each other. We eventually slept together one day when I was nursing him in my bedroom.

Msipa claimed the boy stole her money and ran away from her homestead in Dandadema village.

"I caught up with him at the police station where he had made a false report that I forced him to have intercourse. A policeman interviewed me and advised me to plead guilty to the charges so that I could be freed, she said in her defence outline.

"I was ready to forgive him and move on but had to plead guilty to the charges not knowing that I was implicating myself. I then found myself in custody because of that. I was in love with the boy and that's all I can say."

The boy testified in camera and told the court that Msipa started seducing him when he fell sick.

"She asked me to sleep in her room so she could monitor my condition. She started touching my privates and I drew back but she continued touching me," said the boy.

"I ended up giving in to her advances and from that day onwards, she started calling me sweetie. She would follow me during the day and relieve herself in front of me. She continued toiching my privates without my consent."

Prosecuting, Concilia Ncube said sometime in October at around 9PM, Msipa invited the boy to watch a soccer match in her bedroom.

While they were watching the game Msipa, who was dressed in a petticoat, grabbed the boy's shoulders and started fondling his manhood.

She offered him $1 to undress and show her his manhood and the boy refused," said Ncube.

She then forcibly undressed the boy and they had sex once without his consent.

Ncube said the boy continued sleeping in Msipa's room. "On October 26, Msipa approached the boy and started touching him all over the body. She then grabbed his manhood and had intercourse with him once, without his consent.