50-year-old Malawian man imprisoned for defiling his 2-year-old daughter

History Gondwe, 50, of Nkhata Bay District, will spend the next 14 years in prison after the district's First Grade Magistrate Court found him guilty of defiling his 2-year-old daughter.

Malawi: History Gondwe, 50, of Nkhata Bay District, will spend the next 14 years in prison after the district's First Grade Magistrate Court found him guilty of defiling his 2-year-old daughter.

According to the facts presented in court by the state prosecutor, Sub Inspector Andrew Singini, Gondwe, who is separated from his wife due to marital issues, lives near her house.

Sergeant Kondwani James, a spokesman for the Nkhata Bay Police, told AfricaBrief that on August 24, 2022, Gondwe took the child to his house despite the mother's refusal. Singini also told the court that the child was returned to his mother in the early hours of the next day.

After a few hours, the mother noticed a strange mucus-like fluid draining from the child's private parts.

The mother immediately sought advice from other elderly women in the compound, who advised her to take the child to the hospital for a medical examination, suspecting that something sinister had occurred.

The medical examination results at Nkhata Bay District Hospital revealed that the fluid was seminal, indicating that the child was carnally known.

The incident was immediately reported to the Nkhata Bay Police Station, where it was discovered that Gondwe was the one who defiled the girl. As a result, law enforcement arrested Gondwe and charged him with defilement.

Gondwe denied the charge during his first appearance in court, prompting the state to call four witnesses, including the medical officer who performed the medical examination. Their evidence convinced the court, and the suspect was eventually convicted in subsequent proceedings on November 28, 2022.

Although the convict requested leniency, claiming he was the first offender and suffering from back problems, prosecutor Singini requested a harsh penalty.

Singini stated that the convict, as a father, had the responsibility to protect his own child and that the court should therefore impose a deterrent sentence on the convict and other would-be offenders.

On December 2, 2022, Magistrate Ezekiel Kamtikana agreed with the state's request for a harsh penalty and sentenced Gondwe to 14 years in prison with hard labour, beginning on the date of his arrest.

Gondwe is from Tionge-munthali Village in the Mzimba District's Traditional Authority Jalavikuwa.