The future of a primary school teacher accused of defiling a 14-year-old Standard 7 pupil in his school hangs in the balance after the court established during trial that the DNA results incriminate him.
The suspect, Letlhaetse Motshegare, of Tlhaping ward in Ditshegwane village is said to have been sexually abusing the young girl, who is now a nursing mother of three weeks, since January 2019.
The victim gave birth to a baby girl on December 30th, 2020.
Botswana Police Forensic Laboratory Scientist, Tirelo Marupi, said in her testimony before Molepolole Magistrates’ Court last Thursday that the DNA profile swabs collected from the victim’s panty was consistent with the DNA genital swabs collected from Motshegare.
Motshegare asked the scientist why the results were not the same and she explained to him that the DNA was different as the samples were from different persons being a male and female.
Though the accused had earlier claimed he had a problem with the affidavit being submitted before court as evidence, Magistrate Kaveri Kapeko overruled his objection.
Motshegare allegedly went to the girl’s house at night on several occasions and had sex with her without using a condom while the parents were sleeping in a different house.
It is alleged that after the girl told him that she had missed her period, Motshegare bought some pills for the girl who did not have knowledge of what they are used for and instructed her to take them three times a day.
Motshegare, a 49-year-old Standard 3 teacher at Ditshegwane Primary School in Kweneng District was arrested by the police on August14th last year after the girl’s mother allegedly traced footprints from her daughter’s room to his home.
Speaking to this publication at the time of Motshegare’s arrest, the upset 39-year-old mother of six who cannot be named to protect the identity of her underage daughter explained how her detective work led to Motshegare’s arrest.
“I discovered some foot marks outside the hut where my daughter sleeps. They showed that he removed his shoes, jumped over the fence and walked barefooted to the girl’s house. When he left, he jumped the fence again, put his shoes back on and returned to his house. Then I alerted my neighbours who confronted him,” explained the mother.
Motshegare reportedly confessed that indeed the footprints were his, claiming to have been checking on the girl, informing her to prepare for an exam that was scheduled for September 1st 2020.
Meanwhile the accused teacher who is popularly known as Chipo in the village is on bail and has allegedly been suspended from duty.
The state is expected to call upon four more witnesses when the case continues next month.
