Man rapes stepdaughter, aged 10, mom tries to protect him
By Caleb Chikwawawa
A 40-year-old Odzi man raped his 10-year-old stepdaughter but her biological mother told her to keep the ordeal a secret fearing they would be thrown out of the offender’s home.
For his misdeeds, the man, who cannot be named on ethical grounds, was handed 18 years imprisonment by a Mutare magistrate on Friday last week.
“The State proved that sometime in the month of October 2023, the complainant, together with her two younger sisters, aged 1 and 3, were left in the custody of the accused person when their mother had gone to visit her aunt,” read a statement from the National Prosecuting Authority.
“The accused person instructed the complainant and her sisters to go and sleep in his bedroom where he then followed and raped the complainant.
“He raped her in the presence of the other two sisters who were sleeping.
“The complainant reported the matter to her mother who told her not to reveal the matter to anyone lest she be chased away from home.
“The matter came to light when the complainant confided in her teacher who reported the matter to the police leading to the accused person’s arrest.”
NPA urged the public to report sexual offences involving minors regardless of the circumstances.
