MANGOCHI-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi Police in the lake shore district of Mangochi are keeping in custody a 40 year-old man for allegedly raping and impregnating his own 21-year old daughter.
Mangochi Police Station deputy spokesperson Amina Tepani Daudi has identified the suspect as Charles Phillip.
The daughter is now six months pregnant.
Daudi told The Maravi Post that the victim’s parents got divorced in Mulanje district and the suspect married another wife in Mangochi district thereafter Philip took the daughter along and started staying together.
The police publicist said soon after the victim finished writing her Malawi School Certificate Examination (MSCE) in July 2016, the stepmother went also on holiday for a day at her parents leaving the father and daughter home alone.
Daudi added that soon after the step mother left for holidays, that day’s night at around 21:00 hours when the daughter was going to sleep the father dragged her to the sitting room and forced himself on her.
She further said although the victim shouted for help nobody came to her rescue as the suspect threatened to deal with anybody who might come to intervene on the matter.
“In the next morning she decided to go to her biological mother in Mulanje but when she was there she didn’t reveal what happened. After staying for a month her mother noticed some changes on her body and she chased her back to her father. Surprisingly the victim was forced to stay with another woman who was a sexual partner of his father in order to conceal the matter.
“Few months later the rumuor started circulating in the village and it took the courage of the members of the community to report the matter to the Police who summoned her, and narrated the whole issue and mentioned her father as the owner of pregnancy.
“Eventually, the victim was taken to Namalaka Health Centre on Friday where medical reports revealed that the daughter was six months pregnant and the father was arrested. The suspect will appear before court to answer the charge of incest which is contrary to section 157 of the Penal code”, said Daudi.
Charles hails from Misanjo Village, Traditional Authority (T.A) Mabuka in Mulanje district.
