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Midlands Reporter
A 17-year-old boy from Chiwundura has been arrested for allegedly raping a nine-year-old girl several times in a bush while on her way to school.

The accused (name withheld)  appeared before Gweru regional magistrate Mrs Phathekile Msipa last week on rape charges.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Mrs Msipa remanded him to September 16 for continuation of trial. It is the State case that sometime in January last year, the complainant was on her way to school when she saw the accused person who called her into a bush.

The accused person allegedly raped her once without protection.

The accused person, the court heard, raped the complainant several times on different occasions.

The court heard that the matter came to light in March 2019 during an abuse awareness programme conducted by a non-governmental organisation called Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe (Dreams) at the complainant’s school.

One of the teachers noticed that the complainant had indicated that she has been a victim of sexual abuse after pupils were asked questions on abuse in their homes and communities.

The court heard that after some counselling, the girl revealed that she had been raped by the accused several times.

The matter was reported to the police, leading to the arrest of the accused person. Mr Kelvin Guvheya appeared for the State.