A man in Zimbabwe has been arrested for sleeping with his underage cousin.
The 27-year-old man identified as Nobert Chauke, who works as a taxi driver, said that he had consensual sex with his cousin and he didn't know she was underage because her physical attributes were deceiving.
Chauke told police, “she has big hips and she looks like a woman.”
Chauke, who has a pregnant wife at home, admitted to having sex with his 15-year-old cousin, but insisted that it was consensual. He was initially charged with rape, but the charge was changed after evidence was presented in the court. The evidence included WhatsApp messages which indicated that the two had a consensual sexual relationship.
Attorneys Matshobana Ncube and Kucaca Phulu, who represented the taxi driver, also told the court that the girl was close to her 16th birthday when they had sex, adding that their client is a young and unsophisticated man, who assumed that the girl was of the age of consent because of her full-figured body and big hips.
Chauke who was arraigned before Gwanda regional magistrate Joseph Mabeza, pleaded guilty to engaging in sex with a young person under the age of 16 years.
His attorneys asked the judge to give Chauke a suspended sentence as he was willing to perform 420 hours of community service so that he can continue working as he is the sole breadwinner in the family.
The court however declared that Chauke will be sentenced on a later date.
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