74-year-old year stepfather sentenced to 21 years in prison for defilement

Malawi: The Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe on August 4, 2022, sentenced Anthony Ngulube, 74, to 21 years in prison with hard labour for defiling and impregnating his 14-year-old stepdaughter, writes Sub Inspector Salomy Zgambo, Lingadzi Police PRO.

According to the police prosecutor, Senior Superintendent Prescott Mwayiulipo, the convict began intimidating and having canal knowledge with the child in 2015, when the child was only eight years old.

Mwayiulipo also told the court that the incident occurred in Nkhata Bay, but that when the child became tired, she fled to Lilongwe and reported the incident to her uncle.

She was taken to the hospital after the case was reported, and it was discovered that she was pregnant.

In court, Ngulube denied the charges brought against him, prompting the state to call five witnesses against him. Despite the convict's presence of three defense witnesses.

In its submission, the state requested a harsher punishment from the court, citing an increase in defilement cases in the country. Prosecutor Mwayiulipo also told the court that the convict preyed on the victim's trust in him as his stepfather.

In mitigation, Ngulube requested leniency, arguing that, in addition to his enormous responsibility, the court should consider his age.

In his decision, Magistrate Patrick Chirwa agreed with the state that the convict's actions were inhumane because he took advantage of the child's closeness. Chirwa also stated that the convict ruined the child's future by physically and mentally abusing her, so he was sentenced to 21 years in prison with hard labor.

Ngulube is from Chiweyu Village in NkhataBay's Traditional Authority Malengamzoma.