Rape accused gets lucky break

MULENGA MUSONDA writes@SunZambianTHE Choma Fast Track Court for Gender Based Violence has acquitted a man who was accused of raping a woman after he lured her into the bush on the pretext that he would find her a job.Senior Resident Magistrate Idah Mupemo in her findings established that it was not in dispute that Goodson Mudenda (32) and the victim had sex in the bush on that particular day.Particulars of the offence in this matter were that Mudenda on June 23 had unlawful carnal knowledge of a female without her consent- an allegation he denied and trial was conducted with five witnesses testifying against him.According to the facts on Court records, Mudenda picked the victim in order to show her his place, but later changed his mind and dragged her into the bush were he raped her.In the Bush, Mudenda pushed the victim to the ground, ripped her Jegging and pant, he put his legs between hers and raped her. A watch and torn Jegging were found at the scene of crime after the victim left the place in a distressful state to her home in the next Township with grass on her head.When the matter came up for judgment before Court, Magistrate Mupemo, the accused with his yes transfixed on the Interpreter Luckson Sibalwa who was translating in Tonga so he could not miss a single word of what was read by the Court.Magistrate Mupemo after analysing all the evidence felt unsafe to convict the accused person because the issue raised more than two inferences.She stated that, following the flow of evidence, the victim had met the accused person three days prior to the alleged rape and such it was possible that the two agreed to have sex in the bush. She also wondered how a woman in a distressful state, crying and partially naked would walk a long distance without people noticing her.She thus acquitted Mudenda and set him at liberty forthwith. The Sun