'I was sleeping with his wife,' says rape accused

A GWERU man facing a charge of raping an 11-year-old girl shocked a packed court when he claimed he was sleeping with the victim's mother.

The accused, Kurauone Sadzauchi, 28, of 2247 Mkoba Village 3 made the utterances in the presence of the woman's husband when he appeared before regional magistrate Morgan Nemadire recently facing a charge of rape.

Sadzauchi told the court that the rape charge was a fabrication designed to "fix" him.

"I think the complainant's father does not know what's happening between me and his wife. Judging by his facial expression, I think he is in the dark but the truth of the matter is I was sleeping with his wife. I impregnated her and she had an abortion.

"She was now demanding $150 to get her womb cleaned and when I failed to give her the money, she decided to fabricate these frivolous allegations against me," he said to the utter shock of the courtroom.

Sadzauchi further alleged that the girl had been coached on what to say in court by the mother as a way of getting back at him for failing to provide cash for her treatment.

"The child is only 11 years old My Lord. I am sure her mother is pushing her to say all these things just to fix me. If she was raped on that particular day, it was definitely not me," he said .

Prosecuting, Chikuni told the court that on December 5, 2013, the complainant's mother sent her to Sadzauchi's house with a bottle of Vaseline jelly and told her to collect a dollar from the accused.

The court further heard that Sadzauchi who was at his house alone, locked the Grade Seven girl in his room and proceeded to rape her before buying her silence with a packet of biscuits and juice.

The complainant, however, rushed home and informed her mother who subsequently told her husband.

The parents of the girl reported the matter to the police leading to Sadzauchi's arrest.