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Court Reporter
A 36-year-old Chitungwiza man who vented his sexual gratification on a 12-year-old girl by fondling her for a period exceeding a year after giving her some money, was last Friday fined US$200.
Bornface Komondo of Manyame Park was lucky to escape a prison term after he was sentenced to a wholly suspended three months in jail.
Komondo, who was a regular customer at a bottle store run by the girl’s grandmother at Chigovanyika shops, took advantage of this and started molesting the Grade Seven girl whom he would give money ranging from US$15 to US$50.

The court heard that Komondo started his acts mid last year until October this year and would give money to a male employee at the bottle so he would not reveal the sinister acts.

Komondo even gave the employee money to facilitate a relationship between the two, but the girl refused.
Prosecutor Mr Edmond Ndambakuwa proved that after giving the minor money, Komondo would occasionally fondle her whenever she passed before him.

The offence came to light when the girl was involved in a heated argument with her grandmother after she refused to have her hair cut.
Her grandfather got wind of the abuse and later informed his wife about it who in turn reported the matter to the police, leading to Komondo’s arrest.

He denied charges of performing indecent acts with a young person before Chitungwiza magistrate Mr Kudakwashe Jarabini.
He was convicted after a fully-contested trial and ordered to pay the fine by December 15, failure of which he would spend 30 days behind bars.

Mr Jarabini, however, advised the girl’s grandmother to take her for counselling. The girl is said to have testified in camera that the molestation started when she was only seven-years-old.