University Student Convicted Over Defilement

Salima Senior Resident Magistrate's Court on August 31, 2020, convicted and sentenced Pilirani Mataka, 21, a second-year student at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources to five years imprisonment with hard labour for defilement.

The court through state prosecutor Seargent Pemphero Dzanjalimodzi, heard that Mataka had been in love affairs with a girl under the age of 16 years since April 2019.

He further told the court that on August 12, this year, Minesi Moffat, mother to the victim caught Mataka red-handed with her daughter in his house and later reported to the police.

Mataka pleaded guilty to the charge of defilement levelled against him.

After being convicted, the state prosecutor Seargent Pemphero Dzanjalimodzi prayed for a stiffer punishment, saying the offence is serious in nature and the victim's education is doomed because she is now two months pregnant.

In mitigation, Mataka begged for court's leniency, arguing that he is the first offender, a second-year university student whose education may be disturbed, will take care of the pregnancy and he supports his widowed mother.

Passing sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Joana Kwatiwani concurred with the state and sentenced the convict to five years imprisonment with hard labour to deter would-be offenders.

Mataka hails from Sosola 2 village in the area of Traditional Authority Mwanza in Salima district.