Pupil kidnapped, sexually violated

THE case of a 17-year-old pupil from Towsend High School who went missing a month ago, forcing her parents to appeal for information about her whereabouts, has taken a new twist amid allegations she was kidnapped and sexually attacked by Lamone Chirikeno for close to a month.

Chirikeno appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mark Dzira last Friday, facing charges of kidnapping or unlawful detention and having sexual intercourse with a young person as defined in Section 93(1)(b) and Section 70 (1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

He was not asked to plead but only spoke to confirm his name, surname and the allegations levelled against him.

The accused was remanded in custody to 27 October for bail application. He was represented by his lawyer, Mr Gary Sengweni, of Sengweni Legal Practice. The alleged 17-year-old victim cannot be named for ethical reasons.

The court heard that on 20 September, Chirikeno reportedly kidnapped the girl and took her to his home in Bulawayo's Barham Green suburb.

Chirikeno allegedly had sexual intercourse with the girl on several occasions knowing that she has not yet reached 18 years, which is the age of consent.

The worried mother reported the matter to the police and in a desperate attempt to locate her daughter, she splashed her daughter's pictures on social media, appealing to anyone who might have information about her whereabouts to contact their nearest police station.

Following the appeal, one of Chirikeno's neighbours stumbled on a picture of the missing girl on Facebook and when she saw the girl at Chirikeno's home she was quick to identify her and swiftly reported the matter to the police last Wednesday, leading to the arrest of the accused.

Siphiwe Mhlanga represented the State.