CHIPATA RAPE SUSPECT CAPTURED

Police on Thursday visited the school following an expose by the Daily Nation of attempts to cover up the case.

The culprit had already paid K5000, to the girl’s family as compensation as part of attempts to sweep the matter under the carpet.

However, the devastated girl, was having none of this and asked her teachers to help her get justice by exposing the ordeal and plot to hash the matter.

This is according to a teacher at the school, who has appealed to the government to intervene and ensure the girl gets justice instead of the matter being hashed up and swept under the carpet.

According to a teacher, the 26-year-old special unit pupil, was raped by a guard at the school, but the police hashed the matter after the family asked for compensation from the offender.

Although the matter was reported to the school administration and police, nothing else has been done, forcing the whistleblower to take matters in her own hands.

She said the rape victim was tramautised and still in disbelief and scared.

“We are dealing with a victim who cannot talk or hear but is able to express herself using sign language,” the teacher said.

She said when woman was taken to hospital, she was given medicine to prevent HIV infection and pregnancy.

“But that is not enough. How can they ignore this guard who is a criminal. What if he rapes more pupils?”

The Grade four pupil, was last Tuesday raped by Friday Phiri, aged 29, a security guard at the school.

The victim whose identity has been withheld met her fate on the material day on her way back home from school.

Mr. Phiri offered a ride to the victim on his bicycle as she was a day scholar. This is according to the information from the whistle blower.

When Phiri reached some unfinished buildings, he pulled her hair and dragged the victim in one of the buildings where he raped her.

The victim narrated to her teachers about the rape incident. When the teachers asked the perpetrator if he had raped the pupil, he refused at first but he later admitted that he had raped her.

However, the victim is a double orphan and she lives with her older sister and other family members.

She was taken to Chipata General Hospital a day after the rape incident and a medical report was issued. She was given medicine to take for 28 days to prevent pregnancy and any sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

The relatives of the victim demanded K7, 000 from the rapist as compensation instead of reporting him to the police.

Phiri is married and accommodated at the school.

According to the whistle blower, Phiri promised to sell a cow and pay the K7, 000 to the victim’s family on Wednesday. This was against the victim’s wish as she wanted her assailant arrested.

The rape incident involving one of the special need pupils has instilled fear at the school. Some school girls have stopped attending classes for fear of being raped. As for those still attending classes, they have been asking their teachers as to when Mr. Phiri would be arrested for the alleged crime.