Court Jails Defiler to 21 Years

Blantyre magistrate court has sentenced a man to 21 years imprisonment with hard labour for defilement.

The court heard that Elias Mtambalika aged 45 who was working as a garden boy for one of the senior officials of SR Nicholas in Mandala had been defiling the 9 year old girl since April 2017.

Mtambalika was threatening the girl not to reveal to anybody but the news came to light when she fell sick on February 28 2019.

The was taken to Queen Elizabeth Central hospital where she was diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases and further tests revealed she was HIV positive.

When quizzed she narrated the matter and her grandmother reported to police.

Police arrested Elias on the same day and the court ordered that he should be tested HIV.

Hospital test results found that Elias was HIV positive hence concluding that he was the one who infected the child.

In submission police prosecutor sub inspector Justice Manolo prayed for stiff punishment considering that “an innocent girl was infected with sexually transmitted diseases including HIV and that such cases are rampant in Blantyre and the country as a whole.”

In mitigation Elias asked for leniency saying he is a bread winner of his family.

Passing sentence Principle resident magistrate Chisomo Hannock Msokera said “the offence is felonious and its maximum sentence is life imprisonment.”

Elias Mtambalika hails from Chimbalanga Village TA Thomas in Thyolo district.