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Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
A 24-YEAR-OLD man who raped and robbed a 50-year-old woman was jailed 18 years on Tuesday. The woman had disembarked from a commuter omnibus in Epworth when Claudius Tapfuma pounced on her.

He raped her twice in a bushy area. Tapfuma was armed with an empty beer bottle when he committed the offence.

Tapfuma pleaded not guilty to rape, robbery and aggravated indecent assault when he appeared before regional magistrate Mrs Sandra Mupindu, but was convicted on overwhelming evidence after a full trial.

Mrs Mupindu sentenced Tapfuma to 23 years in prison before she suspended five years on condition of good behaviour.

The court heard that the woman was raped on July 12 this year around 10pm.

She was coming from Stopover shops where she had disembarked from a commuter omnibus.

The woman headed for Pentagon, an area in Epworth and Tapfuma followed her.

She tried to run away but Tapfuma grabbed her, while she screamed for assistance.

Tapfuma dragged the woman to a nearby bush.

He threatened to stab her with an empty beer bottle if she tried to alert anyone.

Tapfuma raped the woman twice before forcing her to perform oral sex on him.

After the act, Tapfuma ordered the woman to surrender all her belongings.

She tried to run away but he hit her with the beer bottle and she fell down.

He then took her mobile phone and $10.

The woman went home and alerted her family.

The matter was reported to the police, and Tapfuma was arrested the following day.