Man sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping 12-year-old

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Man sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping 12-year-old

2:31 CAT | 18 Feb 2022

Photo: Wamphula Fax

Umbelino Silvano, a Nampula Provincial Finance Directorate official, aged 57 at the time of the events, was sentenced on February 9th to a 15-year prison sentence for the crime of sexual rape of a 12 year old, aggravated by pregnancy.

The 5th Section of the Judicial Court of Nampula also ordered Silvano to pay legal fines, court tax and fees to the court-appointed attorney.

He must also pay 60,000 meticais compensation to the victim.

The ruling of the 5th Section in our possession describes how, in 2018, the defendant, taking advantage of his single marital status and to satisfy his sexual appetite, enticed the minor, who carried out the business of selling bananas, by buying her product on a regular basis.

“Taking advantage of the fact that he lived alone, on one of these days in 2018 when the little girl went to the defendant’s house with the purpose of selling bananas, the defendant ended up feeling the little girl’s breasts, and then offered her money – 20 meticais. Subsequently, he took her to his room by force, removed all clothes under strong threats until he (….)” the ruling reads.

From then on, the accused started to have regular sexual relations with the minor, because he offered a promise of marriage, but to trigger this forced love relationship, the accused entered the bathroom of the minor’s parents’ house when she was taking a shower, without consent, and again began to feel the girl’s breasts, but was seen and questioned by neighbours, who took him to the police authorities.

“After the medical examination was carried out, vaginal penetration, laceration, and signs of rape (…)) and pregnancy were detected in the victim,” the judgment details.

The case was widely reported on social media in 2018, to widespread condemnations by civil society and beyond.

Source: Wamphula Fax