TANZANIA: Man jailed 30 years over defilement

Written by PETI SIYAME in Sumbawanga

THE Sumbawanga District Resident Magistrate’s Court has sentenced, Elias Patrick 30 years imprisonment after being found guilty of defiling his 13 years old daughter.

The convict, who is a resident from Kisalala village in Laela Township in Sumbawanga District, had earlier pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the offence.“There is no doubt that the victim was defiled as per the PF 3 which was tendered before the court as exhibit ……. The only doubt here is as to who did it to the victim…… All the prosecution witnesses testified that Patrick did it.

"I am satisfied with the prosecution side that it has proved his case beyond reasonable doubt that Elias Patrick was the one who defiled the victim as per PF 3," the magistrate Mr Adam Mwanjokolo said.The court was earlier told that the convict committed the offence on October 16, 2011, at Kisalala village in Laela in Sumbawanga District in Rukwa Region defiled his 13 years old daughter.

The court was told that on the material day the victim was at home with her brothers and sisters as her parents were not at home that in the evening she prepared dinner and went to sleep.The convict alleged to come back home on  that  material  evening  and asked  for dinner and was  told  by  his daughter that the soup was not enough and then he went into the house of his  elder  wife  who also was not at home.

Then the convict asked his daughter if she could make a bed for him but she told him that she made it already. Her father called her again and gave her 2000/- to go and buy him slippers.The daughter refused to accept. He then pulled her into the house and pushed her on bed and took off her pants forcibly.

The court was told the convict held his daughter’s neck and forcibly had a sexual intercourse with her. She was bleeding as she was leaving the house.

The following day,  the  victim’s mother who with her co wife had the  previous day  went  to Laela  village to  visit  a sick  relative, arrived  and  her daughter  narrated everything to her that  her father  threatened  her  that if she told anybody he could have cut her throat with machetes.

Source: Daily News (03/11/2012): http://dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/11164-man-jailed-30-years-over-defilement