Hwange man jailed 18 years for inserting fingers into in-law’s privates

A 39-year-old man from the Musuna area has been sentenced to an effective 19 years in prison by the Hwange Regional Court after being convicted of indecent assault and aggravated indecent assault.

The court found him guilty of preying on his cousin’s wife while she slept. The 36-year-old victim was attacked on two separate occasions at her homestead in Breamland Gardens, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said.

The first incident occurred on 31 August 2025, at around 10 PM. The offender entered the complainant’s mosquito net while she was sleeping face down, hugged her from behind, and began caressing her body.

When she woke and confronted him, he fled the scene, bizarrely promising her “sugar beans” in exchange for her silence.

Although the complainant informed her husband, he asked her not to report the matter to the police to protect his younger brother (the offender).

Emboldened by the silence, the man returned two days later, on 2 September 2025, at around 11 PM.

He again slipped under her mosquito net, lay behind her, and forcibly grabbed her hands, inserting his finger into her private parts.

Upon realising the complainant was menstruating, he stopped and pleaded for forgiveness, again offering beans as payment and instructing her to sweep away his footprints to hide evidence.

Following the second attack, the complainant reported the incidents to the police.

The court sentenced the offender to 12 months’ imprisonment on Count 1 (Indecent Assault) and 18 years’ imprisonment on Count 2 (Aggravated Indecent Assault), resulting in an effective 19-year custodial sentence.

The NPA stressed that courts will not treat sexual offenders with leniency, saying the sanctity of a woman’s body and the safety of her home must be respected.

The authority also warned that family ties should never be used to shield abusers or silence victims. *_-Pindula_*