Balaka man pleads guilty to defilement,  gets 7 year jail term

The Balaka First Grade Magistrate court in eastern Malawi has sentenced Frank Stephano Dimba 32 to 7 years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a 10 year old girl.

Dimba pleaded guilty and was therefore convicted on his own plea.

In  his submission before the sentence, Prosecutor Constable Aida Mzama asked the court to consider giving the suspect a stiffer sentence considering the seriousness of the offence.

“Cases of defilement are becoming rampant in the district hence the need to give offenders a stiffer sentence so that we can protect the girl child and that it should be a lesson to him and would be offenders” said Mzama

In mitigation, the suspect asked for leniency saying that he is a bread winner for his family.

Passing judgement, First Grade Magistrate Damson Banda conquered with the state that cases of defilement are becoming rampant in the district a development which is putting the life of a girl child at risk.

He said for this to stop, the suspect needs to be given a stiffer sentence so that it should be a lesson to him and would be offenders. He therefore sentenced him to 7 years imprisonment with hard labour.

Frank Stephano Dimba who is married and has 3 children comes from Funsani village, in the area of Senior Chief Nsamala in Balaka district.

In a related development, the Zomba Chief Resident Magistrate seating at Balaka, yesterday failed to hear another defilement case in which a Balaka based businessman Batwel Wyson Gandazeya 47, is accused of defiling a 15 year old girl.

The case was adjourned after the accused through his lawyer Author Makhalira asked Chief Resident Magistrate Jean Rosemary Kaira to excuse herself from the case for fear of being bias towards the victim as she is a child rights activist.

Gandazeya is accused of defiling a 15 year old girl on several occasions, a charge he is denying.

According to Eastern Region Police Prosecution officer Mwawi Kalua, the state was ready to parade 7 witnesses .

The Magistrate  adjourned the case to 14th November, 2014 for the ruling on their applications.

Batwel Wyson Gandazeya, comes from Kandeu village, Traditional Authority Ganya in Ntcheu district but resides at Balaka town where he runs his business.