COURT JAILS MAN FOR DEFILING, IMPREGNATING A MINOR

By Joel Phiri – Mana

Mzimba First Grade Magistrate on Monday sentenced 29- year -old Sikanadze Kadango to a jail term of eight years after convicting him of defilement.

According to Jenda Police Station Publicist, Macfarlen Mseteka, Kadango had been defiling the 13-year old standard 7 girl since March 2023.

Mseteka said Kadango had been inviting the girl to his house whenever his wife was away, while at other times, the man would even sneak into the girl’s grandmother’s house and made the girl pregnant.

‘‘The girl (name withheld) lives with her grandmother at Jenda Trading Centre and has been schooling at Chimayembe primary school. The man was working as a maize miller at the same Jenda Trading Centre’’, said Mseteka.

Mseteka said in court, the man pleaded guilty to the charge of defilement and asked the court to release him so that he should be taking care of the pregnant girl as it is his responsibility.

He also asked for leniency saying he has a wife and daughter who solely depend on him and they would suffer if he is sent to jail.

Mseteka however said Police Prosecutor, Wyson Phiri told the court that Kadango deserved stiffer sentence bearing in mind that cases of defilement are on the increase in the area.

Phiri also told the court that the girl, at 13, is too young and the pregnancy would bring complications in her life.

In her judgement, Mzimba First Grade Magistrate Loness Gumbo concurred with the state prosecutor and slapped Kadango with a jail term of eight years for having sexual intercourse with a minor contrary to Section 138 of the penal code.

Kadango hails from Msampha village in the area of Traditional Authority Mponela in Dowa.

Mana/jp/ys/scm