Seke student teacher gets community service for molesting pupil (13)

A STUDENT teacher at Seke Teachers’ College has been sentenced to 350 hours of community service for sexually abusing a 13-year old student.

Nashville Gwariwa (24) appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi on Tuesday, where he was initially slapped with a 12-month prison sentence.

Two months were suspended on condition of good behaviour. A further 10 months were suspended on condition that he performs community service at Makoni Clinic in Chitungwiza.

Mangosi said the State proved beyond doubt that Gwariwa committed the offence when he was on attachment at Highlands Primary School.

The magistrate further ruled that there was need to protect children from sexual perverts in the country.

During mitigation, Gwariwa claimed that he did not know that he was committing a crime when he molested the student.

According to prosecutor Sherlynn Sadomba, on December 10, 2021, Gwariwa met the complainant who was in the company of her friend at Highlands Primary School grounds.

He offered the complainant a yellow jacket as a present before asking her to accompany him to the music room.

The complainant’s friend then left.

While in the music room, Gwariwa pretended to be looking for a laptop charger before asking her to kiss him. She refused.

But Gwariwa forcibly kissed her. The complainant tried to scream, but Gwariwa tightly closed her mouth with one of his hands and dragged her closer to him.

The complainant narrated her ordeal to her friend, who, at that point, had followed them to the music room.

They told the headmistress what had happened and she reported the matter to the police, resulting in his arrest.

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