MASVINGO-Regional Magistrate Bishard Chineka has sentenced a Gutu man to 20 years in jail after convicting him of raping a seven-year-old-girl.

Gilbert Shonhayi (41) of Mukwasi Village, Chief Serima in Gutu was handed the sentence on Wednesday and he will effectively serve 16 years.

Prosecutor Innocent Mudzingwa told the court that the grandfather caught Shonhayi raping the minor (name withheld) on December 27, 2022, around 2: 30.

He recovered a used condom from the back of the house where Shonhayi was raping the minor.

Circumstances are that the girl was playing in her grandparents’ backyard and Shonhayi approached and grabbed her by the hand.

He allegedly threatened to kill her if she made noise. He dragged her to a sink where he took off her clothes and raped her while wearing a condom…