Judgement day for rapist dad

THE verdict in the trial of 53-year-old Beitbridge-based cross-border transporter accused of raping his biological daughter for three years until she fell pregnant will be delivered on February 8.

The man is alleged to have started raping the teenager from August 2020 when she was 13 until she fell pregnant at the age of 16 last year. He pleaded not guilty through his lawyer Mr Muchineripi Nhire and wanted the case dismissed before trial.

Beitbridge regional magistrate Mr Innocent Bepura disagreed and now that the State has presented its case and the defence responded, Mr Bepura set the judgement day for Wednesday at the close of the defence case. If the man is found guilty, there will be a second set of arguments, this time on the sentence.

The man is accused of raping his daughter from a previous marriage and colluding with his new wife to illegally abort the pregnancy in December last year. The 47-year-old stepmother has already been jailed for four years by a local magistrate for causing the illegal abortion.

Prosecuting, Miss Tsitsi Mutukwa said in August 2020, the father arrived home at night and found the teenager, who was then 13, in the company of her stepmother and other children. He sat up with her to help with the school holiday work, but then allegedly attacked her and raped her.

He tried to rape the girl in her bedroom in October 2022 but failed after finding her sleeping together with her elder sister.

But he succeeded in an attack in September last year after creeping on her when she fell asleep while watching TV.

Later that month the girl realised she was pregnant and she revealed the matter to a church leader in November who reported this to a local pastor. On December 3 last year the stepmother discovered the pregnancy and asked the girl about the paternity. The stepmother bought some medication to terminate the pregnancy as a way of concealing the offence.

The issue came to light when one of her friends got information about the incident and advised the religious leader and the matter was then reported to the police.

She was taken to Beitbridge District Hospital for medical attention where it was discovered the pregnancy had been terminated.

The couple was arrested and the medication used in the illegal abortion was recovered from their house.