Man wrongly jailed for 14 years over sex offence walks free after spending two years behind bars 

A man who spent two agonising years behind bars has finally walked free after the High Court in Zomba quashed his conviction and dramatically overturned a 14-year prison sentence, ruling that his alibi should never have been dismissed by the lower court.

Saint Mark Nangwere had been convicted in 2024 under sections 138(1) and 137(1) of the Penal Code, relating to sexual offences against a minor and indecent assault, before being handed the lengthy custodial sentence that would ultimately be torn apart on appeal.

The Malawi Legal Aid Bureau fought hard to overturn the conviction, arguing that the lower court had erred in law by convicting Nangwere despite a clear alibi defence, and insisting the prosecution had failed to prove all elements of the offences to the required legal standard.

Crucially, during the original trial, two defence witnesses testified that Nangwere had been with them throughout the entire day the alleged incident was said to have taken place, revealing he had been undertaking carpentry apprenticeship work alongside them and had even shared lunch at the same location.

The case was handled by Assistant Director Zaheed Ndeketa, alongside Senior Legal Aid Advocates Chibamahara Msyale and Uza Kaime, who argued forcefully on appeal that prosecutors had comprehensively failed to disprove Nangwere’s alibi.

The High Court heard the appeal on 28 September 2026, and after carefully considering the evidence, judges acquitted Nangwere entirely, setting aside the 14-year prison sentence in a dramatic vindication for the wrongly convicted man.

By the time of his release, Nangwere had already endured two long years behind bars, raising fresh questions over how such a conviction was allowed to stand despite the existence of a credible alibi defence.