Man charged with raping minor

FRANCISTOWN: An unemployed 25-year old man of Tonota in the Central District was arraigned before Chief Magistrate, Peggy Madandume, on Thursday for allegedly raping a 12-year old schoolgirl.

The incident allegedly happened in Tonota on July 31, 2013. The investigating officer Detective Constable, Itumeleng Bayani, applied for the accused to be remanded in custody because investigations were still continuing."I still have to go and interview witnesses in the case. The victim is a schoolgirl who stays near the accused's home. The victim's mother  wants to transfer her to Mmashoro because she is traumatised by the incident.Also the accused has a pending robbery case before Court Five. He is alleged to have committed the current rape case whilst on bail so we fear that he may commit other offences if granted bail," said Bayani.The accused asked for bail saying he was just a suspect in the matter before Court Five since he has not being found guilty. "I will also go and stay at Chadibe so as not to interfere with state witnesses," he said.

In her ruling Madandume said she agreed with the prosecution that the accused was not the right candidate for bail. "You are alleged to have committed the current offence whilst on bail.It is the duty of the courts not to grant anyone freedom who is suspected of committing other crimes whilst on bail," she said.
The accused will appear in court on August 20 for mention.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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