A man was arrested after it was discovered that he was sleeping with his underage cousin.
27-year-old Nobert Chauke of Zimbabwe, who works as a taxi driver, said that he had consensual sex with his cousin.
Chauke told police that he was not aware that she was underage as โshe has big hips and she looks like a woman.โ
Chauke, who is married and his wife is pregnant, admitted to having sex
with his 15-year-old cousin, but said that it was consensual.
Chauke was initially charged with rape, but the charge was changed
following evidence presented in the court. WhatsApp messages indicated
that the two had a consensual sexual relationship.
Attorneys Matshobana Ncube and Kucaca Phulu, who represent the taxi
driver, told the court that the girl was close to her 16th birthday when
they had sex.
They also told the court that their client is a young and
unsophisticated man, who assumed that the girl was of the age of consent
because of her full-figured body and big hips.
Chauke pleaded guilty to engaging in sex with a young person under the
age of 16 years when he appeared before Gwanda regional magistrate
Joseph Mabeza.
Chauke will be sentenced on a later date.
His attorneys asked the judge to give Chauke a suspended sentence as he
was willing to perform 420 hours of community service so that he can
continue working as he is the sole breadwinner in the family.
