Pastor jailed 20 years for defilement
Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a 40-year-old pastor to 20 years imprisonment for defiling, impregnating and procuring abortion for a 15-year-old girl in the district.
State prosecutor Florence Mlanje told the court that the pastor, name concealed to protect the identity of the victim, was in a secret love affair with the girl.
She said in December 2021, the girl missed her period.
Said Mlanje: “When the pastor came to know about the pregnancy, he advised the girl to go for abortion, citing his responsibilities as a married man and a pastor.
“However, the girl could not do as per the pastor’s demands and she kept her pregnancy for four months.”
The prosecutor said the man of God then procured drugs in March 2022 and gave them to the girl to take, but after taking them, the girl suffered health complications.
Mlanje further said the girl was admitted to Mitundu Health Centre where she received post-abortion healthcare services.
In court, the pastor pleaded not guilty, but the State paraded five witnesses and proved the case against him.
In mitigation, the pastor prayed for leniency, saying he was a first offender and has family obligations.
But Mlanje asked the court not to exercise leniency saying, at 15, the victim was exposed to premature sex.
She also added that the convict subjected the girl to trauma following the abortion complications.
In his ruling, principal resident magistrate Rodrick Michongwe agreed with the State on the gravity of the offence and handed him a custodial sentence.
