Alleged Abusive Father Denied Bail

A 51-year-old man of Senonnori ward in Maun accused of raping his biological daughter and unlawfully wounding his wife was denied bail by Maun Chief Magistrate Thebeetsile Mulalu on Tuesday.

The accused person has since had charges levelled against his consolidated. The rape charge case was initially before Maun Principal Magistrate Gofaone Mosweu while the unlawful wounding charge was before Mulalu. As per amended charge sheet, the accused person is now facing two counts: one for raping his biological daughter and the second count for unlawfully wounding his wife.

In the rape case, the accused person is alleged to have raped his biological daughter on the dates between the 24th July and 16th September 2023 at their matrimonial home in Senonnori. It is alleged that on the 13th September the victim was found by her mother crying and when asked why she was crying she told her mother that her father has been having sexual intercourse with her without her consent.

The victim further revealed that the accused person beat her up for refusing to have sex with him. The accused person was arrested and later granted bail on the rape case while his daughter was put in a safe place.

After he was granted bail, the accused person would allegedly then on the 7th October 2023 go on to committed another offence of unlawfully wounding his wife by stabbing her on the neck. The wife who was admitted at Nyangabwe Referral Hospital intensive care unit following the stabbing has since been discharged while the daughter has also been taken back home.

On his bail ruling Mulalu noted that he took into account the fact that the accused person showed that he is not a candidate to be granted bail as he attacked the complainant who is also a state witness on the rape case.

He further noted that it came to his attention that the accused person was in 2019 convicted and given a two year suspended sentence for threatening to kill the complainant.

“During cross examination the accused person did not necessarily dispute to have attacked the complainant while out on bail in a case in which the victim is a witness on the case in which he was out on bail for,” Mulalu said.

Mulalu said the accused person did not dispute the fact that the complainant on the 1st count of rape is his biological daughter and that the victim on the second count of unlawful is his wife and mother of his daughter.

Mulalu noted that the accused person is charged with grievous offences against his own family members adding that the investigating officer cannot be faulted for having fear that the accused person is a danger to his own family. 

“I have come to the conclusion that the accused person is not a suitable candidate for bail, the application by prosecution to have the accused person remanded in custody pending trial is thereby granted,” Mulalu delivered the bail ruling.

The accused person will appear on the 27th November for status update.