A 42-year-old Maun man has appeared before Maun Magistrate court for allegedly raping his neighbour’s 13-year-old daughter.
The incident reportedly happened on July 16th at Sedie ward when Gaopalelwe Machana pounced on the child who was coming from her father’s house heading to his mother’s place.
According to the court papers, Machana grabbed the minor child just when she was about to arrive at her mother’s place, dragged her to his house where he chained her to his bed and raped her.
Taking the stand on behalf of the substantive Investigating officer, Detective Constable Juta Maila pleaded with the that Machana should be denied bail for his own safety as he was arrested by an angry mob that threated to assault him and he was rescued by the police.
Maila further revealed that even when they visited the crime scene the community was baying for Machana’s blood.
“The accused is a close neighbour to the victim. For now, the only safe place for him is to be in state custody,” noted Maila adding that the investigations are still at initial stages.
For his part, Machana requested to go home for a few days to sort himself out and return to police custody.
The matter has been set for August 22, 2024, for status update.
