Man jailed 12 years for indecent assault
25-year-old man, Justine Munyapa, of Nakholo village in Traditional Authority Mwambo in Zomba has been handed a 12-year imprisonment with hard labour after being found guilty of indecent assault of his step daughter.
The crime is contrary to Section 137 of the penal code.
Munyapa was accused of assaulting his step daughter, aged five, and he appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate (SRM) Wyson Nkhata. He pleaded guilty.
Prosecuting the case, Josephine Chigawa told the Court that on March 8 2016 the man defiled the little girl when his wife had gone to fetch firewood.
The matter was revealed upon an inquiry by a group of women in the village after noting that the girl had difficulties walking.
It was also revealed that man had been defiling the girl every time his wife was away. A check at a private clinic confirmed the assault.
In his determination, the magistrate pointed out that children look up to parents for protection. He therefore said he decided to jail Munyapa for failing to protect the child.
In an interview, Zomba police spokesperson Patricia Supliano said the police are happy that neighbours were inquisitive and assisted the little girl by taking her to hospital.
They even pursued the matter with Kachulu police, who referred the kid to Likangala clinic for further medical attention.
“The police also commend the mother that she did not stand in the way of justice to stop prosecution of the accused for the sake of marriage as others do by pleading with the police or courts.
“We also ask parents to give attention to their kids and reporting to police when such things happen,” said Supliano.
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