By ’Mantoetse Maama
MASERU — A 19-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment after he was convicted of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl from Upper Thamae in Maseru on July 30.
He pleaded guilty to the charge in the Maseru magistrate’s court.
He was not given an option of a fine.
Relebohile Mpiti, who pleaded guilty, will serve jail time after he was found guilty of having sex with a minor against her wishes.
The victim told the court that last week on Sunday at around 5 pm she was near Thamae LEC where she met Mpiti.
She said she knew him as he had earlier proposed love to her but she had turned down his proposal.
She said Mpiti then forcibly pulled her towards the LEC school premises.
She said he pulled her by the hand, opened the door to his home and threw her onto the bed.
She was wearing a pair of jeans and she tried to flee as he was tried to undress her.
The accused then cut the belt on her jeans with a scissors and took it off together with her panties.
The suspect then forced himself onto the victim without using a condom.
In a separate incident, the crime prevention committee from Thupa-Kubu reported that a 30-year-old girl was sexually abused by her father.
The committee reported the matter after finding out that the girl is pregnant.
Police spokesperson Thato Ramarikhoana said a Sefikeng police officer visited the girl to interview her about the matter.
“The 30-year-old told the police in an interview that she had been impregnated by her boyfriend who stays in the same village.
“The girl denied that her father had sexually abused her,” he said.
Ramarikhoana said the girl is expected to be interviewed by the Sefikeng police officers again.
“If the investigations reveal that it’s her boyfriend this will be treated as a civil matter not a criminal case as the two might have agreed (to have sex).
“The parents of the girl will sue the boy for impregnating
