adminMashudu Mambo
A Harare-based police officer was slapped with a 24-year jail term for raping a 17-year-old girl twice during a party at his friend’s house in Mahatshula North suburb in Bulawayo.
Farai Mzengeza (34) from Mabvuku who was attached to ZRP Support Unit appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Joseph Mabeza facing two charges of rape.
He was found guilty and sentenced to 24 years in jail.
The court heard that sometime in October last year and at around 10 pm in Mahatshula North, there was a party where Mzengeza had been invited. The victim was sent by her uncle to collect some documents from his car.
While she was at the garage, Mzengeza followed her and as she opened the door, he grabbed and held her tightly.
He then lifted her and laid her on a snooker table where they wrestled but she was overpowered and Mzengeza forcibly had sex with her.
After the sexual attack, he told the girl not to reveal the matter to anyone. They then went back into the house.
While in the house, the victim’s uncle requested for some beer and the juvenile’s mother instructed Mzengeza to go with the juvenile to buy it at the shops.
On their way to the shops, Mzengeza drove towards Harare Road despite being shown the direction to the nearby shops by the victim. Along the way he drove to a nearby bush where he stopped, and he locked all the doors and jumped to the back seat where the juvenile was sitting.
He stripped her naked before he raped her again.
After the abuse, they went to the shops. The victim did not disclose anything to her family.
When the juvenile was at school, Chaplin noticed that her behaviour had changed, and he quizzed her.
The seemingly traumatized victim did not disclose the matter verbally, but she opted to put it in writing.
After that she was then accompanied to the police station to report the matter and investigations led to Mzengeza’s arrest.
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