Man gets 14 years for defilement in Salima

Salima Magistrate’s Court, sitting as a mobile court at Chikowa Primary School in Traditional Authority Ndindi, has sentenced a 47-year-old man to 14 years imprisonment for defiling a 14-year-old girl.

State prosecutor Jean Chirombo told the court that the man (name concealed to protect identity of the victim) defiled the girl in 2020 after enticing her with money.

“In 2021, the victim’s mother suspected that the girl was pregnant. She took her to Salima District Hospital for a pregnancy test and the results came out positive,” she said.

Chirombo said the issue was reported to Chipoka Police Unit where officers arrested the man.

In court, the man pleaded not guilty, but the State paraded five witnesses to prove its case.

In her submission, Chirombo prayed for a stiffer sentence, saying defilement cases were rampant in the district and that the incident left the victim traumatised.

She also said the offence is serious and that the convict is a mature man who was supposed to protect the girl.

In mitigation, the convict prayed for lenience, saying he is a first offender and a breadwinner.

In her ruling, first grade magistrate Anthony Banda dismissed the mitigating factors and agreed with the State that the convict’s actions ruined the victim’s future.

He said as a minor, the girl was likely to face complications during delivery.

Banda then handed him a custodial sentence to deter other would-be offenders.

In recent times, defilement and rape cases have risen in the country, a development Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Patricia Kaliati attributed to increased reporting on the vices.