10 year jail term for impregnating step daughter in Mzuzu

The First Grade Magistrate Court in Mzuzu has sentenced a 37-year-old man to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour for impregnating his 13 year-old step daughter.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Andrew Singini told the court that Kambwiri Chakuda has been defiling the victim since last year.

Singini said one night the convict sneaked out of his matrimonial bed to the room of the victim but failed to satisfy his sexual desires as the daughter reportedly denied.

“Despite persistent refusal by the girl to have sex with her father, he finally succeeded after he told her step daughter that he will buy her clothes from the proceeds of tobacco and later warn her against disclosing the ordeal or else risk being killed,” said Singini.

However months later, the mother became suspicious of the daughter’s signs of pregnancy and upon quizzing her, she revealed that it was her father who was responsible.

The matter was reported to the village head wand later to police.

But the convict denied the charge of defilement in court prompting the state to parade four witnesses who testified against him.

In mitigation the convict said that he feared custodial sentence would compromise his proceeds from the tobacco farming claiming that he was yet to send the gold leaf to the auction floors.

He also claimed that he is a tuberculosis patient.

Presiding magistrate Curthert Phiri quashed the mitigating factors adding that the convict could have considered this before committing the offence.

The convict hails from Chuzu village in the area of Traditional Authority Chakhadza in Dowa District.

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