A 27-year-old man from Gweru, Clemence Karuma, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of raping a woman in her home at a farm in Chinhoyi. The sentence was handed down by the Chinhoyi Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
According to court proceedings, the incident occurred when Karuma forcibly entered the 26-year-old complainant’s room, holding a torch and demanding a lighter to light a cigarette. Upon being informed that she did not have one, Karuma escalated the situation by demanding money and threatening to rape her.
Fearing for her safety, the complainant handed over USD15, but this did not deter Karuma, who then threatened her with an iron bar and ordered her to remove her clothes. He subsequently raped her once before fleeing the scene.
The police were alerted and investigations led to the swift arrest of Karuma, who was later arraigned before the court. The court found him guilty of the charges and imposed the 15-year sentence as a deterrent to similar crimes.
