Stepfather jailed 21 years for defilement

Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a 40-year-old man  to 21 years imprisonment for defiling his stepdaughter aged 13.

State prosecutor Goadson Chinseu told the court that the man, name concealed to protect the identity of the victim, had been sleeping with the girl since January 2022.

He said it was discovered in July 2022 that the girl was pregnant and when interrogated, she mentioned stepfather as responsible.

In court, the man pleaded not guilty, but the State paraded five witnesses and proved its case.

In his submission, Chinseu prayed for a stiffer punishment, saying the accused was entrusted with the child as his own but he took advantage of the situation to defile her.

In mitigation, the man asked the court for leniency, saying there was consent from the child and that he has other children to take care of.

Delivering his ruling, senior resident magistrate Wanangwa Nyirenda agreed with the State that what the accused did was inhumane.

He said the suspect’s actions were uncalled for considering that he was a father figure to the child.

Nyirenda then handed the man a custodial sentence.

In recent times, the country has registered a rise in defilement and rape cases, a development the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare attributed to more awareness campaigns which empower victims to report cases.

Defilement cases have maximum penalty of life imprisonment.