Man (31) rapes daughter (10) in the kitchen while wife was asleep in the bedroom

A Harare man accused of raping his 10-year-old stepdaughter in the kitchen while the mother was sleeping in the bedroom, has appeared in court.

The 31-year-old man appeared before Chitungwiza regional magistrate Ms Estere Chivasa who deferred the matter to today for trial continuation.

In his defence, the man told the court that it was impossible to leave his wife sleeping in the bedroom and go on to rape his step-daughter in the kitchen.

He also said that the allegations he is facing were fabricated on the basis that he has been having problems with the girl's mother for the past four years.

This was allegedly after the girl's mother found out an illicit affair with another girl he intended to marry, so she promised to fix him.

The State led by Mr Henry Muringani alleges that on November 30 in 2011, and at around 9pm, the couple retired to bed with the girl sleeping with her younger sister in the kitchen.

It is further alleged that during the night, the man woke up and went to the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea.

He left the room and came back after a few minutes naked and proceeded to where the two girls were sleeping.

Mr Muringani said, once there, he uncovered the blanket covering the girl and raped her.

After the act, he went back to his room and joined his wife.

The girl informed her mother the following morning and they went to the hospital where a doctor confirmed that she had been raped.

This led to the girl's mother reporting the matter to the police leading to his arrest.