The High Court sitting in Mangochi is today expected to hear an appeal made by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), which is not happy with the sentence meted out on a 32-year-old man who was convicted and sentenced for sodomising a 13-year-old boy.
In April this year, the Mangochi Senior Resident Magistrate Court convicted and sentenced Geoffrey Kamtedza to eight years imprisonment with hard labour after he was found guilty of forcing a boy into sexual activity.
The court then heard that Kamtedza went to the boy’s school, where he used a knife to threaten the boy and took him to an uncompleted building where he forced himself on the boy.
The boy reported the matter to his parents, which led to the arrest and trial of Kamtedza.
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During the court appearance in April, it was also revealed that Kamtedza had been released from prison after being pardoned by State President Peter Mutharika in January this year following his conviction on a related offence.
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Ironically, Kamtedza was convicted of raping the same boy when the boy was nine years old in 2023.
As a result, the office of the DPP feels that the eight-year sentence meted on Kamtedza is on the lower side, considering that the convict is a habitual offender.
“The State has appealed the sentence at the High Court. [The State has appealed] on the basis that it was manifestly lenient, particularly considering that the convict is a repeat offender. The appeal hearing is scheduled for Monday before the High Court, which will sit in Mangochi,” said Josephine Gwaza, who is the Director of Criminal Litigation in the Office of the DPP.
She said the decision to have the High Court sit in Mangochi had risen to allow the people of Mangochi to follow the proceedings, which could offer lessons to other would-be offenders without necessarily taking into account what the outcome of the appeal would be.
