Bishop acquitted of defilement
Published On May 4, 2015 » 3318 Views» By Administrator Times » Latest News, Stories
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By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE? –

A CHISAMBA bishop has been acquitted by a Lusaka magistrate’s court of defilement charges involving two girls who had enrolled for sisterhood training at his Baba Joana Church.
Joshua Matongo, who is also a farmer and business executive, was charged with two counts of defiling girls under the age of 16.
It was alleged that between June 1 and October 31 2012, while in Chisamba, Bishop Matonga had sex with girls under the age of 16.
One of the girls told Lusaka magistrate, Betty Malupenga that Bishop Matongo defiled her in one of his houses at a farm in Chisamba where she had been taken after she joined the church in February 2012.
The girl alleged that the bishop told her that he had been having sex with all the women at his farm, a situation which he said made them to have a ‘soft skin’.
She told the court that on the material day, the bishop called her to one of the rooms and pushed her on the bed after which he had sex with her.
However, Bishop Matongo, who was found with a case to answer and placed on his defence, denied defiling the girls, saying he was suffering from diabetes as such, he is not sexually active.??Bishop Matongo told the court that he had no house in Chisamba as alleged by the girl but that he only had an office which did not have a bed.
In her judgment yesterday, Ms Malupenga acquitted Bishop Matongo because the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond any reasonable doubt.
Ms Malupenga said that it was not enough for her to rely on the child’s evidence alone without independent collaborating evidence.
She said it would have been evil and inhumane for the women who were already in the sisterhood to have been laughing outside as was alleged by the girl, while knowing that the girl was undergoing the defilement ordeal.
“This causes reasonable doubt in my mind and I, therefore, acquit the accused person and set him free forthwith” Ms Malupenga said.

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