BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
A Victoria Falls teen has been ordered to perform 525 hours of community service for impregnating a 15 year-old girl.
Victoria Falls magistrate Linda Dzvene convicted the 17-year-old boy from Jengwe Village under Chief Mvuthu who was charged with contravening section 70 (1) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23 “having extra-marital sexual intercourse with a young person”.
The court heard that sometime in 2019 during the month of April, the boyproposed love to the complainant and she accepted.
During the same month, the two went to Mosi-Oa-Tunya High School to celebrate Easter and during the celebration, the two went to a nearby bush and had sexual intercourse once.
The two continued having sexual intercourse at the girl’s village under the same chief until her mother discovered that she was pregnant leading to the boy’s arrest in November 2020.
In court, the boy begged for a lighter sentence as he was already maintaining his child.
Dzvene said the 525 hours of community service which were altered from his 18 months imprisonment would enable the boy to reform while taking into account that he was already taking care of his child.
“Although accused transgressed, justice must be tempered with mercy,” Dzvene said.
“It is important to note that when the offence was committed, the accused person was also a juvenile aged 17 years and had he been convicted by then, he would have been treated as a juvenile
“I have also disregarded a custodial sentence as the accused person is a youthful offender, who should be given a second chance and a custodial sentence will not benefit him in any way as he will be contaminated by hardened criminals.
“I have, therefore, opted for community service as suitable sentence.”
Part of the 18 months imprisonment was suspended for three months on condition that the boy does not commit a similar offence while the remaining was altered to 525 hours of community service at Chisuma Clinic.