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Martha Leboho Masvingo Correspondent
A Bikita man who allegedly contracted HIV after raping a mentally-challenged woman was jailed for 15 years by a Masvingo court. However, Frank Mukwesha (30) of Hungwa Village under Chief Mukanganwi will serve an effective 12 years behind bars after regional magistrate Mrs Dambudzo Malunga conditionally suspended three years.

Mukwesha was convicted of raping an HIV positive mentally-ill patient on his own plea of guilty. In handing a long-term to Mukwesha, Mrs Malunga told the court that the law was not lenient on offences committed against mentally-challenged people.

Prosecutor Mr Liberty Hove told the court that sometime in February 2015, the mentally-challenged woman left her homestead heading for a grinding mill in the area where Mukwesha worked as a grinding mill operator. On arrival, Mukwesha pushed his victim inside the mill before closing the door from inside.

He started fondling his victim who reacted by pushing him away. The woman tried to stop Mukwesha from further fondling her by biting him on the hand. However, Mukwesha did not relent before undressing her. He then proceeded to rape the mentally-challenged woman.

After about a week, Mukwesha’s victim went to seek treatment for a sexually transmitted disease at Hozvi Clinic in the area and a report was made to the police after she narrated her ordeal to nurses. A medical examination was conducted at Silveira Mission Hospital and Mukwesha was arrested.

In his defence, Mukwesha told the court he was in love with the mentally-challenged woman. A nurse at Hozvi Clinic who testified in the case revealed that Mukwesha tested negative for HIV several times before raping the woman. However, the nurse told the court that tests conducted after he raped the woman revealed that Mukwesha was now HIV positive.