The Ntcheu Senior Resident Magistrate Court on December 31, 2020 sentenced a 20-year-old man to 20 years imprisonment for defiling his niece on November 26, at Balaka 1 village, Traditional Authority Makwangwala in the district.
The state, through Inspector Samie Liwonde, told the court that the suspect, Christopher Paulo, who happens to be a brother to the victim’s mother, defiled the girl in the bush where she and her sister went to pluck mangoes.
Liwonde, continued to say that when the suspect arrived where the girls were plucking mangoes, this was in the maize field belonging to the victim’s mother, the accused chased the other girl to look for somewhere to pluck mangoes leaving the victim behind.
Then the accused found some space to grab the victim by hand and move to another bush where he defiled the girl.
The accused pleaded guilty to the charge of defilement of girls under the age of 16 which contravenes section 138 of the Penal Code.
The accused further told the court that this was almost a 10th time to defile the girl.
In submission Inspector Liwonde, prayed for a stiffer punishment.
Liwonde, reminded the court that it has powers to sentence up to 21 years, despite the offence attracting a maximum of life imprisonment.
He also told the court that the offence was well planned and organised, and that the prevalence of such cases both in Ntcheu and Malawi as a whole is very alarming.
The state continued to say that the victim was only nine years to suffer such acts, hence physiologically traumatized, and that it will affect her social interaction and her education in future.
And, that the accused being an uncle, had a duty of protecting the victim but instead he chose to be a predator, thereby breaking the trust the victim had on him.
In mitigation, the accused asked the court for leniency saying he is a first offender.
In his sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Yohane Munthali, concurred with the state saying there is a general outcry of these cases all over Malawi.
He then went on to slap the accused with the 240 months (20 yrs) imprisonment to serve as a deterrent to other would be offenders.
Christopher Paulo, hails from Balaka 1 village, Traditional Authority Makwangwala, Ntcheu.
Sub Inspector Hastings Chigalu
Ntcheu Police Public Relations Officer