A 15-year-old schoolgirl is in court over a dispute with a 29-year-old man. The man, Mathews Chilela, is accused of failing to pay damages after making the girl skip school and have sex with him.
But once the senior magistrate heard the details of the case he changed the charges. He pointed out that the girl was under the age of 16 and Mathews needs not only pay charges, but he needs to be prosecuted for defilement of a child. He reminded the court that it is illegal to have sex with anyone under 16 as they are regarded as a child. Now Mathews faces a stiff prison sentence as well as his fine.
According to the Zambia Daily Mail the girl said that Mathews proposed to her in 2014 when she was 13 and that she accepted. Once they were engaged she gave in to Mathews' demands for sex. Whenever he had sex with her, he gave her K5.
She said she had sex with Mathews on four different occasions at his sister’s house without her knowledge. “He used to ask me to miss class so that we have sex. We also had oral sex,” she said.
The Mail reports that she confessed to her aunt about the affair after she fell ill. Her aunt thought she was pregnant, but that was not the case. But the family demanded K16,000 for defilement.
The magistrate instructed the girl to lay a criminal charge at the police station and the case will proceed.
Some adults don't even know the law. It is up to you to find out what is right and wrong and inform them too! When you are informed you know that agreeing to sex with an older man can put your future at risk.
Do you think this guy deserves to be put in jail, or just be fined? Tell us below.