MARTIN MAWAYA
A Chirumanzu man has been sentenced to 31 years in prison for raping two minors and robbing another woman of her groceries and cellphone.
Webster Shuro (29) of Village Shuro under Chief Chirumanzu appeared before Regional Magistrate Christopher Maturure facing two counts of rape and one count of robbery.
Shuro did not plead to the charges but was convicted at the close of the state’s case.
He received a 30-year sentence for the two counts of rape and an additional 12 months for robbery.
However, Magistrate Maturure suspended six months of the sentence, provided that Shuro restitutes the complainant for her cellphone and groceries by December 31, 2024.
As a result, Shuro will serve an effective 30 years and 6 months in prison for offenses committed on October 9 and 10 of this year.
According to court documents, on October 9 at around 7am in a bush area near Maketo Village in Chirumanzu, Shuro attacked a Form 4 student who was on her way to school.
He dragged her to a secluded location, covered her mouth, and removed her school uniform skirt and undergarments.
He then forcibly laid her down while threatening her with an okapi knife and proceeded to have sexual intercourse without her consent.
After the incident, the victim went to school and informed her teacher, who subsequently notified the guardians, leading to a police report.
The court also heard that on the same day, Shuro ambushed another student who was on her way to extra lessons and raped her while threatening to kill her with an okapi knife.
The following day, on October 10, Shuro robbed a 24-year-old woman of her Itel smartphone and her groceries, threatening her with a knife.
All incidents were reported to the Charandura police station, which led to Shuro’s arrest.
During mitigation, Shuro denied the charges, claiming that he was thatching a house in the village at the time of the offenses.
Sibangani Dube prosecuted.
