Trisa Ray Sibanda
A 40-year-old man was on 11 May arrested for sexually assaulting his friend’s 13-year-old daughter.
Sometime in April the complainant’s father left the complainant and her two juvenile siblings, a girl aged 12 and an eight-year-old boy in the protective care of the accused person as he was going on a journey.
On the same day at night, the accused person sneaked into the complainant’s blankets and raped her.
The complainant then screamed thereby awakening her siblings.
The accused person fled.
On 11 May the complainant informed her mother who was in Norton about the incident.
On hearing this the mother came and escorted her daughter to Cowdray Park police station where they made a report.
The accused was then arrested.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the arrest.
He said the behaviour of adult individuals abusing children when they are supposed to be taking care of them was worrying.
“Such cases cannot be prevented by our police patrols but require behaviour change by some men who fail to understand the consequences of their actions because of sexual greed.
We urge the public not to leave their children, especially girls in the custody of male relatives or friends. The victim’s father also negligently trusted a rapist friend to take care of his innocent children,” said Ncube.
