A man and his wife have been convicted and sentenced to 14 years and 10 years respectively over defilement of their 15-year-old daughter.
The two pleaded guilty and admitted to the charges of defilement and aiding of defilement levelled against them.
Nyasa Times reports that the Mulanje First Grade Magistrate’s Court in Mulanje, Malawi, headed by Magistrate Smart Maruwasa, heard that on July 31 this year, the couple, Francis Makatanje and Annita Kampango, went to pray within some hills called Mwanamulanje.
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They were in the presence of their daughter. The report added that while there, Makatanje told his wife that he had received instruction from God that in order to get rich, he needed to sleep with their daughter.
His wife gave him the go-ahead but their daughter, according to Nyasa Times, objected to the idea. Her words, however, could not overshadow those of her parents who insisted. They further threatened that if she refused, she would go mad.
Still not granting consent, the father is reported to have forcibly had sex with the victim, in the presence of his wife, said a police prosecutor, Sub Inspector Annock Fumbo.
Fumbo adds that the daughter then went against threats to her not to reveal what happened, to report the case to her auntie, and the two subsequently alerted the police.
“Despite threatening her not to reveal, the 15-year-old victim gathered courage and reported the issue to her aunt before later taking it to police at Namphungo,” Fumbo said.
Fumbo said following the report, the police arrested the father and charged him with an offence of defilement contravening section 138 (1) of Malawi’s penal code.
He said further investigations led to the arrest of the mother, who was charged with an offence of aiding defilement contrary to section 21 (c) of the penal code.
Although the two asked for leniency in court, prosecutor Fumbo asked the court for stiff penalties, describing the couple’s action as exploitative.
The court went on to give its judgement, with Magistrate Maruwasa saying the case should act as a deterrent to others.
Both parents are to do hard labour in jail.
