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Court Reporter
A-26-YEAR-OLD tattooist has been jailed 17 years for raping a musician’s daughter who had sought his services. The tattooist’s alleged accomplice was acquitted.
Nathan Stotombe bought the teenage girl alcohol on the pretext that it would ease pain and raped her when she got drunk.

He took photos of the 19-year-old girl while naked and unconscious which he circulated on social media.

Sean Swanepool (23), who had been fingered in the case, was acquitted by regional magistrate Ms Fadzai Mtombeni for lack of evidence linking him to the offence.

Stotombe was convicted after a full trial. Ms Mtombeni sentenced him to 20 years in jail before setting aside three years on condition of good behaviour.

The girl met Stotombe in the central business district in Harare on July 13 and he took her to Swanepool’s house.

Stotombe left the girl seated on the verandah and went to the shops where he bought brandy.

On his return, he took the victim to a back room and started drawing the tattoo on her left shoulder.

When the girl complained of pain, he gave her brandy and continued doing so until she passed out.

Stotombe then raped the teenage girl and proceeded to post her nude photos on social media.

The offence was unearthed after the complainant on July 17, received some of the nude pictures from a friend. The photos showed her lying facing down, while her undergarment was lowered.

Stotombe appeared in some of the pictures holding her back.