Former-senior cop arrested for rape committed in 2005

A former senior police officer is in deep trouble after he was arrested nine years later for the crime he allegedly committed in 2005.

Stanley Mhembere, 44, of number 4 Forester Crescent Street Khumalo suburb, yesterday appeared before Bulawayo Magistrate Sibongile Msipa facing five counts of rape.

Mhembere, who was not asked to plead, was denied bail by magistrate Msipa and was remanded in custody to April 2.

Mhembere is alleged to have committed the crime of sexually abusing his brother's daughter over a five-year period between May 2001 and June 2005.

Prosecuting, Caroline Matanga told the court that towards the end of 2000 after the Grade Seven results were out, the accused went to the complaint's widowed mother in Gweru and asked her permission to take the complainant to his house in Ross Camp, saying he wanted to assist to pay her school fees.

The complainant started her Form One at Northlea High School in 2001, but at the beginning of the second term, she was sent away from school for non-payment of fees and for not having winter uniform.

Upon arriving at home, she found the accused alone in the house, who then asked her if she could keep a secret, as a condition for him to pay her school fees, the court heard.

On the following day, the complainant did not go to school.

The accused followed the complainant to the spare bedroom after she had finished bathing where he forced himself on her without her consent and without protection.

As per promise, the accused bought her the winter uniform and paid the school fees, the court was told.

Two months later, the accused took advantage of his wife's absence to once again rape the complainant.

After the act, the complainant reportedly told the accused that she was not happy with what was happening between them, prompting the accused to unhitch his service pistol and threatening her with death if she dared tell anyone about the incident.

In 2003, the accused relocated from Ross Camp to Northend suburb and during that year the accused took advantage of the absence of his wife to rape the complainant again.

In March 2005, the accused promised to continue paying the school fees as long as she kept the rape incident a secret.

He then had sex with her.

Two months later, he also promised to buy her clothes and shoes before he raped her.

The offence came to light in 2006 after the complainant's boyfriend asked her why she was not a virgin.

She then narrated the whole story which led to their separation.

When they later re-united, the complaint got pregnant but upon being asked who was responsible for the pregnancy, she implicated her boyfriend.

When the family engaged the boyfriend over the matter, he spilled the beans about the accused's escapades.

The matter was then discussed and resolved at family level.

Eight years later, the complainant now 26 was listening to a programme on Radio Zimbabwe last month talking about sexual abuse where she then got the guts to report the matter to the police.

This led to Mhembere's arrest.