Man gets 8 years for defilement

Ntchisi Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a 22-year-old man to eight years imprisonment for defiling an epileptic 16-year-old girl.

State prosecutor James Ngupasya Muyila told the court that the accused had been having sexual intercourse with the victim since February this year.

He said: “In March, the girl noticed that she was pregnant and told the accused about the development.

“The latter promised to take care of her, but since then, nothing happened, which prompted the girl to tell her parents who later reported the matter to police.”

Muyira said the girl was later referred to the hospital where medical examination confirmed she was four months pregnant.

In court, the man pleaded not guilty, which prompted the State to parade two witnesses to prove its case.

The State prayed for a stiffer punishment, saying despite the man being a first offender, defilement cases were on the rise in the district with at least three cases recorded weekly, as such, he deserved custodial sentence to deter would-be offenders.

In mitigation, the accused asked for leniency, saying he had planned to marry the girl and take care of her. He also said he did not know that the girl was under-age.

However, first grade magistrate Dorothy Kalua agreed with the State, saying defilement cases are rampant in the district. Therefore, she handed the accused a custodial sentence to deter would-be offenders.