Man gets 20 years for defilement

Ntcheu Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a 27-year-old man (name withheld to conceal the identity of the victim) to 20 years imprisonment for defiling a five-year-old girl.

Ntcheu Police Station spokesperson Hastings Chigalu said the court heard that the convict defiled the girl on January 9 this year in the district.

He said the victim’s mother had left her with the convict when she went to sell some merchandise at a market.

The man pleaded guilty to the charge of defilement, which contravenes Section 138 (1) of the Penal Code.

State prosecutor Annie Chimwendo asked the court to give the accused a stiffer sentence, citing the victim’s age as a major aggravating factor.

“The behaviour displayed by the accused will likely discourage neighbours from relying and trusting each other when it comes to children’s safety and security,” she said.

In mitigation, the convict prayed for leniency, saying he was the first offender and that he voluntarily pleaded guilty.

But senior resident magistrate Yohane Munthali said he was not convinced with the accused’s mitigating factors and handed him 20 years.