The Mangochi Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court on November 11, 2025, convicted and sentenced 21-year-old Daudi Lastoni to 15 years imprisonment with hard labour for having sexual intercourse with a 7-year-old girl, contrary to Section 138 of the Penal Code.
During court proceedings, the Station Prosecution Officer (SPO), Inspector Amos Mwase, told the court that the convict had been a tenant of the victim’s parents at Makawa Trading Centre and had become well trusted by the family.
On July 18, 2025, the victim’s mother asked Lastoni to move into her house and look after her three children, including the victim, while she was hospitalized due to pregnancy complications.
During the night, the convict took advantage of the situation and sexually assaulted the girl several times while her siblings were asleep. The following morning, he instructed her to clean herself at the lake after she soiled herself. Neighbours who saw her struggling to walk and in great pain questioned her, and she revealed what had happened.
The matter was reported to police, and the victim was referred to Koche Community Hospital, where medical examination confirmed that she had been defiled and was suffering from fistula.
In court, the convict pleaded not guilty, and the state paraded three witnesses who proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.
In his submission, Inspector Mwase pleaded for a stiff sentence, describing the convict’s conduct as inhuman and intolerable in society.
Passing sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Muhammad Chande concurred with the state and handed down a 15-year jail term.
Lastoni hails from Chiganga Village, Traditional Authority Chimwala, in Mangochi District.
lnspector Amina Tepani Daudi
Public Relations Officer
Mangochi Police Station
Cell:0999-706-525
Email:amina.tepani@police.gov.mw
Website:www.police.gov.mw