By Chisomo Kambandanga

Nkhata Bay, August 23, Mana: Principal Resident Magistrate court in Nkhata Bay on Tuesday sentenced a 24-year-old man, Issa Banda to seven years’ imprisonment with hard labour for raping a 32-year-old mentally ill woman.

Nkhata Bay Police Spokesperson, Kondwani James said the court heard through state prosecutor Imed Isaac, the mentally challenged woman encountered the fate in the evening hours of August 14, 2023 at Nyoloni Village in the district.

"Isaac submitted that the accused person took advantage of the woman who was left at home with a woman from a neighboring house when her mother went out for other errands.

"Banda, who hails from the same village, repeatedly persuaded the victim into a kitchen when the guardian had entered into the main house. He was eventually caught pants down doing the evil on the psychiatric woman," he said.

Isaac prayed for a stiffer punishment against the convict, saying he would have taken responsibility of protecting the woman rather than taking advantage of her illness.

In mitigation, the convict said he didn’t know what he was doing hence prayed for leniency.

Passing the sentence, Principal Resident Magistrate Clemence Chamwenda, however, concurred with the state that mentally challenged people especially women need protection from people surrounding them and not taking advantage of their problems hence slapped the accused person to seven years IHL.