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Prosper Dembedza Court Correspondent
A 40-year-old Harare housemaid was on Wednesday jailed for 30 years after being found guilty of sexually abusing her employer’s 10-year-old son and deliberately exposing him to HIV.

Harare magistrate Mrs Jessy Kufa initially slapped Memory Makore from Zvomuya Village under Chief Mangwende in Murehwa with a 30-year jail term before suspending five years on condition of good behaviour.

In passing sentence, Mrs Kufa said the age difference of 30 years between the minor and the accused person is vast and by virtue of being in a position of authority and as a mother of five, Makore was supposed to protect the minor child.

“As a mother of five, the accused was supposed to safeguard the child and not to harm him in any form. The accused was not supposed to quench her sexual desire with a minor child, but to look for a man of her age,” she said.

She said the accused’s conduct did not just harm the minor child only, but his family, society and the international community as well.

She further stated that the accused had violated the Constitution, which is the supreme law of the country.

Mrs Kufa said society condemns such behaviour morally as well as legally.

She said the court had considered the interest of justice, the interest of the accused person and that of the international community.