High Court Sentences Man to 60 years with Hard labour for Rape and Robbery

The High Court in Lilongwe has sentenced a 26-year-old Chisomo Harold to 60 years imprisonment with hard labour for rape and 30 years for robbery.

The Chief Resident Magistrate’s court sitting at Lilongwe heard from State Prosecutor Assistant Superitendent Richard Kandeya that Harold, together with three accomplices who are still at large, committed the offences last month at Area 46 in the capital city.

Kandeya who is based at Lilongwe Police Station further told the court that the criminals, wearing face masks and armed with panga knives, metal bars, and a hammer, broke into a house where two criminals including Harold, mercilessly raped a woman in the presence of her children and husband.

The gang later stole cash amounting to K420,000, three bicycles, two cellphones, and other household items.

Harold who is reportedly associated with a group of street-connected youths known as “Amasikini,” was arrested along the banks of Lilongwe River behind Sana Mega Stores where he was hiding.

Police also recovered one bicycle, a phone, and other stolen property after tracing where the items had been sold.

Appearing before the Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court, Harold pleaded guilty to the charges of rape and robbery.

The Chief Resident Magistrate court convicted Harold after full trial.

In his submissions, Prosecutor Kandeya asked the court to impose a stiff custodial sentence, citing the gravity of the offences and the violent manner in which they were committed.

The State also brought to the attention of the Court that Harold is not a first time offender as he was convicted in a case that is kindred to robbery, in which he was sentenced to 32 months imprisonment by the Lilongwe First Grade Magistrate Court last year.

However, he served a few months of that sentence before two general Presidential pardons reduced his sentence and rendered his prison release date to November last year.

Chief Resident Magistrate Austin Banda concurred with the State that it is obvious the earlier sentence did not help the convict to reform but rather, as the State lamented, he graduated to a dangerous criminal from theft to robbery he committed through burglary, and went even  further as to commit an offence so highly intrusive of personal privacy of the wife and mother of the house.

Considering that the committed offences warranted life imprisonment sentence, the Chief Resident Magistrate Court committed the matter to the High Court for proper sentencing.

Delivering the sentence, Justice Ken Manda of the High Court imposed 60 years imprisonment with hard labour for rape and 30 years for robbery. 

The sentences will run concurrently, meaning Harold will serve a total of 60 years in prison.

Harold hails from Ntemwende Village, Traditional Authority Tambala in Dedza District.