According to Zimdiaspora, Anglican pastor Thomas Muchadeyi, 44, was convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl from his church. He pledged non-guilty.

Pastor Muchadeyi denied being guilty by saying that the girl’s father concocted the charges.

Regional magistrate Simon Kachambwa sentenced him to 14 years, but four were set aside for five years on condition of good behaviour.

In his judgment, Kachambwa castigated the priest’s conduct, calling it inhuman. “The case was never shaken and all the essential elements of the offence were proved beyond a reasonable doubt, pointing the accused as a perpetrator,” he explained the decision.

Kachambwa also condemned Anglican church superiors for supporting the priest by writing a letter to the court supporting false and misleading alibi. “In my view, it was all intended to promote and baptise evil, what a shameful act by the church.” 

Prosecutor Valery Ngoma proved that sometime in December 2006 the girl and her brother went to Muchadeyi’s house for holiday after their mother died. Muchadeyi was alone in the house one of the days and called the girl in. He took her to bedroom and raped her. Muchadeyi raped the girl in same bedroom the following day.

It was reported that the 13-year-old became ill when she went back to boarding school and could not control her bladder. A nurse advised the headmaster that the symptoms were that of sexual abuse. Reports say the headmaster quizzed the girl and she revealed that she was raped by Muchadeyi.