A religious leader was arrested on a charge of rape after raping a teenage girl who was brought to him in an attempt to heal her continuous menstrual cycle, according to police in Zimbabwe.
Redcliff police said that they have arrested 36-year-old Wellington Gase, who is a self proclaimed religious healer, after raping the teenage girl, who was not identified, at least three times.
He also infected her with HIV. Now, Gase has been sentenced to serve 36 years in prison after being convicted of three counts of rape.
According to the criminal complaint, Gase was approached by the victim’s mother after she suffered from continuous menstrual cycle.
He promised to conduct healing sessions for three days. The mother agreed to leave the child in the care of Gase. During the three days, Gase raped the girl three times.
Gase threatened to curse the girl, her mother and other relatives if she refused to have sex with him. After the girl went home, she told her mother about the rape.
The child was taken to a hospital, where she tested positive for HIV.