Senior cop rapes teen suspect, offers her R50 HIV+ boy rapes 5 pupils, walks free
A SENIOR cop allegedly raped a 16-year-old suspect who was in police custody at Madlambuzi Police Station in Bulilima and tried to buy her silence with R50. Assistant Inspector Moffat Mugande reportedly fur ther threatened the juvenile with life imprisonment if she reported the matter. The teenager and her grandmother had been arrested in a case of food poisoning which resulted in their neighbours being rushed to hospital. The police officer A FRAIL 13-year-old HIV positive boy from Zvishavane, who raped five pupils one after the other, yesterday walked scot free because of ill-health.
The Grade Seven pupil from Kwirirai Village in Zvishavane, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, is on Anti Retroviral Viral (ARV) treatment.
A court heard the boy waylaid the five Grade Two pupils when they were on their way from school.
He allegedly detained them at a bush, stripped them naked and raped them.
The boy appeared before Gweru Regional Magistrate Mr Morgan Nemadire facing five counts of rape. He pleaded guilty to all the counts. Mr Nemadire treated the counts as one for sentencing.
allegedly called the girl, who was being held with her 60-year-old grandmother at the charge office, in the middle of the night under the pretext of recording a statement.
Sources close to investigations said Mugande led the teen out of the police station to a secluded place where he raped her.
Mugande, the source added, was arrested on Friday
He sentenced the teen to a wholly suspended five year sentence on condition of good behaviour.
In passing sentence Mr Nemadire said he had considered the fact that the teenage boy was ailing
“I had thought of sending you to Hwahwa Prison for juveniles so that you receive strokes with a rattan cane but I have seen a weakling in you. You might collapse while receiving your punishment, thus l will sentence you to five years imprisonment, which are wholly suspended for five years on condition that you will not commit a similar offence,” said Mr Nemadire.
Prosecuting, Mr Andrew Marimo told the court that sometime in January at around 2pm near Kandodo Primary School in Kwirirai Village, Zvishavane, the accused saw the complainants coming from school. Mr Marimo said the boy called out to the children. “The accused person ordered the pupils to sit down. He then undressed the first victim and raped her once
last week and spent the weekend in cells at Plumtree Police Station.
“He was due to appear at the Plumtree Magistrate’s Court facing rape charges but the matter was placed on hold pending further investigations,” said the source.
The juvenile who cannot be named for ethical reasons but stays in Masendu area said Ass Insp Mugande raped her near a dam close to Madlambuzi Police Station. while her classmates watched. The accused then raped the other four pupils one after the other and once done, he ordered them to go home,” he said.
Mr Marimo said one of the victims reported the matter to her parents but they did not believe her story.
He said another victim suffered some pains on her private parts and reported to her mother who then examined her.
“The mother noticed that she had been sexually abused. She made a report to the village head who then reported the rape to the police,” said Mr Marimo.
This led to the arrest of the accused and the complainant disclosed that her other four friends were also raped by the same accused.
The complainants were medically examined at Zvishavane District Hospital and it was established that they were not infected with any Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) including HIV.
“I was picked up along with my grandmother for questioning on June 29 in connection with a case of food poisoning which involved our neighbours. We slept at the police station and around 9PM Mugande woke us up and told us that he needed to record statements from us. We asked why since we had already given our statements and he said it was procedure.
“He first summoned my grandmother who returned shortly. He then escorted me out of the gate of the police station and led me to the dam and he raped me once and he gave me R50. The police officer told me that if I reported the matter I would rot in jail,” said the juvenile.
She said on the following morning she and her grandmother were released from police custody but she remained quiet about the matter.
The juvenile’s mother who also cannot be named for ethical reasons said the matter came to light after she found her daughter in possession of R50.
She said she inquired from her daughter where she had got the money .
“My daughter refused to tell me the truth at first as she said she picked up the money. She later told me that she was raped by a police officer whom she identified as Mugande and that he gave her the money in order to buy her silence.
“I immediately reported the matter at the police station. My daughter went for a medical examination at the Plumtree District Hospital and the results showed that she was indeed raped. It is a relief that she was not infected with HIV or impregnated during the process,” said the mother.
The juvenile and her grandmother were taken in for questioning in a case of food poisoning. A Bulilima granny and her four grandchildren were hospitalised after consuming food they prepared using baking powder which they had collected from the juvenile’s grandmother.
Police Spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi yesterday said he was not aware of the matter.