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Takudzwa Matambura Court Reporter
A 19-year-old man appeared before a Mbare magistrate accused of having sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl.

The man claimed the minor was his girlfriend.

He was charged for being intimate with a young person when he appeared before Mbare magistrate Mr Stanley Mambanje.

The man, who cannot be named to protect the minor, pleaded guilty to the charges, indicating he had no knowledge of the girl’s age.

He said he was aware that the girl had completed her Ordinary Levels, an indication to him that she was no longer under-age.

He was remanded out of custody to March 13 for trial and ordered not to interfere with the minor until the finalisation of the matter.

The girl is now pregnant.

Prosecuting, Mr Tafara Chirambira alleged that on January 17 this year around midday, the man and the complainant agreed to go to a friend’s house in Waterfalls, Harare.

Upon arrival, the court heard that the two had unprotected sex in the house.

The matter came to light on February 20 when the complainant’s mother realised that her daughter had a cellphone, whose origins she refused to disclose. It is further alleged that the complainant’s brother was informed about the matter and ordered her to surrender the phone to him.

The complainant’s mother viewed the messages and discovered texts indicating that the girl could be pregnant.

The court heard that the complainant was taken to hospital where she was confirmed pregnant.

The matter was reported to police leading to the boyfriend’s arrest.