A SHURUGWI man who waylaid children aged between five and eight years and raped them on their way from school has been slapped with an effective 24-year jail sentence.
Stephen Chadenga OWN CORRESPONDENT
Norbert Mhike (22) raped the six children sometime in May 2012 on different occasions, while others watched.
Gweru magistrate Sithembiso Ncube initially sentenced Mhike to 28 years before suspending four years for five on condition that he did not commit a similar offence in that period.
Ncube said cases of children being sexually abused were on the increase hence the need for stiffer sentences.
The court heard that sometime in May 2012, Mhike would lure the girls with biscuits and sweets to a bushy area, where he would grab one of them and rape her while others were watching.
On another occasion, Mhike chased the girls and caught one of them before raping her and sending her away.
One of the girls, however, narrated her ordeal to her teacher who in turn alerted the mother before a report was made to the police, leading to Mhike’s arrest.
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After his arrest, the other five girls opened up that he had raped them.
Medical reports produced in court revealed that the minors had been sexually abused.
