Dad remanded in custody over rape

Prosper Dembedza Court Correspondent

A 48-year-old Harare man yesterday appeared in court on allegations of raping his 16-year-old daughter from 2017 to December 22 this year.

The victim was 14-years-old when the alleged abuse started in 2017.

The man was not asked to plead to two counts of rape when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Victoria Mashamba.

Mrs Mashamba remanded the man in custody to January 8, 2020 and advised him to apply for bail at the High Court.

The State, led by Mr Lancelotte Mutsokoti, had opposed bail arguing that the suspect was facing a Third Schedule offence. The court heard that sometime in 2017 the man picked up his daughter from his home with the intention of taking her to her mother’s  place.

It is alleged that he bought chips for his daughter and parked his vehicle at a service station along Samora Machel Avenue.

The court heard that the man told his daughter that they were going to sleep in the motor vehicle because it was late. During the night, it is alleged that the girl awoke to find her father fondling her thighs but was told  to keep quiet.

The man allegedly shifted from his front seat to the back passenger seat and undressed the girl before fondling her. It is alleged that the man continued doing this for some time before they both fell asleep in the car.

The court heard that sometime in November 2017 the man raped his daughter and ordered her to take her some birth control pills.

It is alleged that the man repeated these acts on several occasions and at different places from 2017 until December 22 this year.

On the second count, the court heard that on December 22, 2019 the man performed the same act in his car.

It is alleged that the matter came to light when the girl’s mother became suspicious of her changed behaviour as she always stayed on social media until late into the night chatting with her friends.

The mother questioned her until she revealed that her friends were offering her support to overcome the abuse.

A report was made to the police, leading to the man’s arrest.

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