By Esnart Chingwalu

The Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court in Lilongwe has sentenced a 25-year-old Kanyenda Tambala to 16 years in prison for defiling a 15-year old Standard 8 girl.

State Prosecutor Sub Inspector Bauleni Namasani told  the court that Tambala committed the crime in Mitundu in November 2019.

“The girl was heading home from her night study at her school when she met Tambala along the way who grabbed and dragged her into an unfinished house where he forced himself onto her leaving the girl injured,” Namasani said.

Tambala pleaded not guilty to the offence and during the trial the state paraded five witnesses who testified against him.

Namasani asked the court to melt a stiffer punishment to Tambala considering the trauma he had inflicted upon the girl.

However in his mitigation, Tambala pleaded for the court’s leniency, claiming he was HIV positive and needed time not to default on his drugs.

In her sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Florence Msekandiana trashed the mitigation, saying prisoners have access to antiretroviral treatment, hence there was no need for Tambala to worry about his health.

Kanyenda Tambala hails from Munyanaye Village in Traditional Authority Chiseka in Lilongwe District.