Malawi High Court jails Cop who raped a teenager in custody to 30 years

Judge justice Vikochi Chima Tuesday sentenced the erstwhile police officer Andrew Chagaga to 360 months in jail with hard labour for forcing himself on a 17-year-old university student.

Chagaga, who the High Court  described him as an axis of evil, committed the crime in December 2020 while serving as a police officer in Malawi’s commercial city of Blantyre.

The former policeman was arrested after the victimised young lady reported the incident to police.

Limbe First Grade Magistrate Court found Chagaga guilty of all the charges levelled against him and consequently convicted him accordingly.

Presiding First Grade Magistrate, Soka Banda ruled that the case should be committed to High Court after the state made an application seeking that the convicted Police officer be committed to the High Court for sentencing.

Chagaga who was  convicted of raping a girl twice in police custody was remanded at Chichiri Prison while waiting for the High Court to hand him a befitting sentence.

In the the state is being represented by Trevor Mphalale,  Ruth Kaima  and Chikondi Chijozi  from the Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance (CHREAA) and Southern African Litigation Centre (SALC).

Ruth Kaima prosecuting prayed to the High Court give Chagaga a stiffer sentence to serve as a deterrent to the society.

The girl was arrested in December last year in Limbe over idle and disorderly charge and she was taken to the Police Station where Chigaga, who was the Custody Officer on duty, raped her twice before releasing her.

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