Gory details of how a jealous man assaulted and tried to kill his underage lover were last week revealed before a shocked Maun Magistrates court.
Jaws dropped as the shocked court gallery listened in disbelief when the prosecution told of how Percy Matlho, 26, of Moeti ward in Maun had tried to kill his 16-year-old girlfriend and mother to his 7-month-old baby.
Matlho who suspected that the teenage girl was cheating on him is said to have subjected her to three days of terror at Xaxaba settlement in the Okavango Delta where he stays.
He has been charged with one count of attempted murder and another of defilement for sleeping with a girl under the age of eighteen and impregnating her.
According to the facts before court, the unsuspecting girl visited Matlho at Xaxaba on the 3rd of November with their baby and two days later Matlho started accusing her of cheating on him back in Maun.
In an attempt get a confession out of her, Matlho is said to have assaulted her with fists and slaps. It is said that he then dragged her to the bush where he further whipped her and hit her with a knobkerrie.
When the assault failed to get him what he wanted, Matlho is said to have dragged the girl to an abandoned hut where he hanged her on the rafters using a rope and cable and released her just before she passed out.
He is said to have repeatedly tortured her until she made a lucky escape and ran back to her parent’s homestead.
Allegedly with the angry Matlho in pursuit, the girl outran him. But he is said to have followed her and continued to beat her up even at her parent’s home until the police arrived and arrested him.
Pleading with court to deny Matlho bail, the Investigation Officer- Goitsemang Maboka, told the court that it was too soon for him to be released.
He further explained that the victim was still traumatized and scared of him.
“The victim is still very much scared thinking that he will come back and finish her off. Some of our witnesses are hesitant to give statements because they fear him as well, we are still trying to assure them of their safety,” Maboka explained adding that it will not be safe for Matlho as well to be set free at the moment as some Xaxaba residents are baying for his blood.
For his part, Matlho told the court that denying him bail will severely affect his girlfriend and their child as they solely depend on him for survival.
Matlho further alleged that he was not trying to kill his girlfriend.
“I was not trying to kill her. If I wanted to kill her, I would have done so since no one stopped me. The woman who reported me depends solely on me. I had given her some money a few days back. I do not know if she still has any left. I want to be granted bail so I can go and sell some fish that we caught so they can have something to eat. I am also taking care of my nephew,” pleaded Matlho.
In addition to the attempted murder, Matlho is charged with defilement of persons under the age of eighteen.
The particulars of the offence are that he started the love relationship with the teenage girl in May 2020 when she was only 15 years old.
