Man in court for sexual assault
Court Correspondent
A 25-year-old Harare man, Tinotenda Chibwe, has been charged with aggravated indecent assault after allegedly sexually
assaulting a 17-year-old Form 4 student.
Chibwe appeared before Harare regional magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa and was advised to apply for bail at the High
Court.
He will return to court on October 21 for trial. The prosecution, led by Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti, alleged that Chibwe met the
minor through a WhatsApp group called “Private Lounge”, which has over 1 000 members.
This is after the complainant received the group link from an unknown new number. The complainant introduced himself to
the group as a new member.
Chibwe who was already a participant in this Whatsapp group inboxed the complainant proposing a gay relationship.
Despite the complainant initially declining Chibwe’s romantic advances and agreeing to just being friends, Chibwe persisted
and eventually met the minor at Machipisa Shopping Centre in Highfields, Harare.
Chibwe allegedly lured the complainant to his residence, where he sodomised him without consent or protection.
The two later bathed together, and the complainant returned home without disclosing the incident.
The matter came to light in August when the complainant’s father discovered Chibwe’s love messages on his son’s phone.
Although the phone broke before he could investigate further, the complainant later used his mother’s phone to communicate
with Chibwe, who again invited him to his residence.
On October 7, Chibwe contacted the complainant through his mother’s number, prompting the complainant’s mother to inform
his father.
The father interrogated the complainant, who revealed the sexual abuse, leading them to report Chibwe at ZRP Machipisa.
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