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A pastor of Ndola has been sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for indecently assaulting a 17-year-old girlfriend who sought his guidance to resolve differences with her boyfriend.
Gillion Matebele, 26, of Kopaland, was found guilty and convicted of indecently assaulting the teenager for three consecutive days in a church building in Ndola in September last year.
In her testimony, the girl had testified that she had visited the pastor after a night out with her boyfriend and she was given a drink which made her dizzy and the following day she found herself naked.
Although Matebele denied committing the offence, Ndola High Court Judge Greenwell Malumani noted that there was nothing on evidence to show why the victim could choose to implicate him.
“It is my view that the subject offence was properly established beyond reasonable doubt. The conviction was safe and hereby upheld,” he said.
In mitigation, Matebele, who spoke through his lawyer from Legal Aid Board Zambia, asked for leniency as he is a father of a child of tender age and a pastor by profession.
However, Judge Malumani said the conduct by the pastor is what erodes public confidence and trust in men and women of God.
Credit: Zambia Daily Mail
