Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate Wanangwa Nyirenda has sentenced 43-year-old Patuleni Jayidi, to 18 years imprisonment after he repeatedly defiled a 13-year-old girl.

State Prosecutor Florence Mlanje told the court that Jayidi defiled the girl, who also heads a family of three, from June to August last year in her house at Kapazanje Village in Mitundu area.

The convict, the court further learnt, gave her K2,000 to “meet” her family needs within the two months.

He however denied the charge, prompting the state to parade five witnesses, before it sought a lengthy sentence.

And in his sentencing, Nyirenda noted that such vulnerable girls need to be fully protected, not exploited by predators like Jayidi.

He then convicted and sentenced Jayidi to 18 years in prison to deter potential offenders.