Zomba, August 30, 2015: The First Grade Magistrate Court in Zomba has sentenced 37 year old Sunge William to 12 years Imprisonment with Hard Labour (IHL) for the offence of defiling his step daughter contrary to section 138 of the penal code.
When presenting facts, Assistant Superintendent, Josephine Chigawa a prosecutor at Zomba Police station told the court that Mr. William was staying with her step daughter at Kazembe village.
Chigawa said on June 6 this year, the mother to the victim had left home for Jali to harvest pigeon peas and left the victim with her husband.
During the night of July 10, the convict went into his stepdaughter’s bedroom where he undressed and defiled the young girl.
After the mother came back the following day, she noticed blood stains on her daughter’s clothes and the victim told her that she had mouth breeding, but her aunt Agatha revealed that she was defiled.
When passing sentence, First Grade Magistrate, Roseline Liyawo said William should be punished because it is a serious offence and the convict was supposed to protect the child.
Sunge William hails from Chinkhu Village in the area of Traditional Authority Kachere in Dedza district.
The crime of child defilement is becoming so common in Malawi. Not a week goes by before you hear similar stories. The Mutharika Government like others before it are grappling with what laws to curb this disgusting practice that some have blamed on traditions and also a belief in some that it cures those infected with the Aids Virus.
