Pakistani gets 20 more years after appeal: Malawi court says earlier sentence of 16 years manifestly inadequate 

Pakistan national Zeeshan Jaral Raja, 36, appealed for leniency over  16 years  jail  sentence he was handed for  sexual assault on  a 15-year-old girl but has turned out to be a painful experience High Court judge Redson Kapindu has slapped him a 30-year jail term for defilement and another 20 years for abduction.

Jaral Raja a businessman trading as Asante Cash and Carry at Liwonde Township  was convicted in 2017 by   Zomba Chief Resident Magistrate Court  on  two counts of defilement which is contrary to Section 138 (1) of the Penal Code and Child Trafficking contrary to Section 79 (1) of the Child Care, Protection and Justice Act.

Raja abducted a girl child and defiled her repeatedly before hiding her in a fridge when her parents and the police were looking for her after going missing.

Newly promoted High Court Judge, Agnes Patemba while serving as a Chief Resident Magistrate at Zomba registry, convicted and sentenced him to a 16-year jail term for defilement and 8 years for abduction which the convicted appealed at the High Court.

Delivering his ruling on Friday, Kapindu said he Rajah’s sentence to deter others from committing similar offences.

The judge said actually the trial court was lenient with him as the 16-year sentence was manifestly inadequate.

Furthermore,  Justice Kapindu also ordered the department of Immigration to send the convict Rajah  back to his home country, Pakistan at the end of his custodial sentence.