19-year-old Blessed Sibanda from Khayalethu Village in Matetsi, Matabeleland North Province, has been found not guilty of r@ping a 14-year-old girl, following allegations that emerged after an Independence Day incident.
The girl, who initially went missing along with her 13-year-old sister for five days, claimed she had been living in the bush after sneaking out to attend a party.
When located and taken to Victoria Falls Hospital due to stomach pains, she was found to be pr3gnant and diagnosed with a s3x_ally transmitted infection (STI).
Initially, the girl accused Sibanda of offering them shelter and then r@ping her; however, his attorney, Thulani Nkala, successfully argued that there were numerous inconsistencies in the testimony of the witnesses, including the complainant herself.
Nkala highlighted that the timeline of the alleged r@pe was unclear, pointing out discrepancies in the girls’ accounts regarding the presence of a door during the incident, which undermined the prosecution’s case.
The court also deemed the family’s placement of events questionable, as the girl had initially stated they slept in the bush before later implicating Sibanda after being taken to the hospital.
Ultimately, Regional Magistrate Mark Dzira concluded that the lack of credible evidence led to Sibanda’s acquittal, emphasizing that the State failed to prove the core elements of the charge against him.
Accordingly, the matter has raised essential discussions about the complexities surrounding such allegations.
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