The state has finished parading its six witnesses in the defilement case in which Lenard Kanyama, 40, is accused of defiling and seriously injuring an 11-year-old girl in Chikwawa district in October this year.

Lead state lawyer in the case, Eunice Ndingo told YFM in an interview that they will be making their final submissions on the case by Friday, December 11, 2020.

Chikwawa First Grade Magistrate Gladstone Chilundu is expected to make his ruling on December 18 on whether the suspect has a case to answer or not and that once found with a case to answer, the case will immediately go into defence.

Ndingo added that once found with the case to answer and convicted, the state will apply that sentencing should be done at the Chief Resident Magistrate Court.

“The decision by the state on the matter, will see to it that the suspect, once convicted, should get a sentence, equivalent to his crime saying what he did to the child, is not far from killing,” said Ndingo.

Father to the victim, Gerald Khembo, told YFM in an interview that should he had caught the suspect, he would have killed him.

“I have no kind words for him, should I quote him alone, am sure I would have been the one arrested as I would killed him. He has killed my daughter and his conduct is not far from a beast,” he said.

The country’s penal code allows the courts to give a maximum of a life sentence to defilement convicts.