Man forces daughters to bath while he watches

A 47-YEAR-OLD man from Mvuma resettlement area in Chirumhanzu, who had dragged his daughter to court accusing her of stealing $360, was left with egg on the face when the daughter divulged that he was in the habit of forcing her and her sister to strip naked and bath while he watched.

The man (name withheld) of 12, 2B Chishuku Village in Mvuma accused his daughter (15) of stealing $360 from him and other belongings valued at $142 before eloping with her boyfriend who lives in Harare. The girl was last week arraigned before Mvuma magistrate, Mr Tavengwa Chibanda facing theft charges. She was convicted and the magistrate postponed the sentence for five years.

During her mitigation, the teenager told the court that she stole the money because she wanted to run away from her father, whom she accused of sexually abusing her and her sister.

“Your Worship, I admit that I took the money but I wanted to escape from home because each time I take a bath or change clothes, my father wanted to see me naked. He did the same to my elder sister and she ran away from home. I wanted to run away from home because of my father’s habit,” she told the court.

For the State, Mr Michael Kazomba told the court that on 6 July, at about 3pm, the girl took cash amounting to US$360 which was in her father’s bedroom hidden in a small tin under his bed and went away. When the father returned, he discovered that his money was missing and that his daughter was not at home. He then suspected that his daughter had eloped to her boyfriend’s place in Harare.

Mr Kazomba said the father followed his daughter to Harare where he reported the matter at Southlea Park Police Station leading to his daughter’s arrest. She was found at her boyfriend’s residence.