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Court Reporter
The trial of prominent cleric and musician Tapiwa Freddy on rape charges kicked off Thursday (yesterday) at the Harare Magistrates Courts with the defence team cross examining the alleged victim on details of the alleged rape.
Freddy, who is accused of raping a 33-year old ZBC presenter under controversial circumstances as well as physically assaulting her at Moja Shopping Centre denied the charges claiming his accuser is bitter that he terminated their relationship.
During cross-examination, the alleged victim, (name withheld for ethical reasons) said she had told the court that she had consensual sex with the accused person between November 2020 and July 2021 because she did not know the meaning of the word “consent” as she only does Shona programs at work and that she did not resist the accused person’s sexual maneuvers because she was afraid of him.
During cross-examination, the radio personality, who had earlier claimed that she bled and had been scratched on her thighs each time after being intimate with the rape accused, backtracked after Freddy’s legal team shredded her assertion before presenting nude selfies sent from her mobile number as evidence in court, challenging the complainant to clarify her allegations and explain why she would send her nudes to the accused if their sexual relationship was not consensual.
In another audio recording, she is heard reportedly saying “… I am sorry about the statement where I said I always bleed and have scars on my thighs whenever we have sex. I did that out of spite and wanted to hurt you.”
The defence team queried why she neither told the police of a dress torn during the rape nor bring it to court as evidence or at least reveal that she also confided with her mother and aunt of the alleged rape until July 2021 to corroborate her story.
The court also questioned why she did not furnish police officers with medical records pertaining to her treatment after being purportedly assaulted by the accused or at least tell the doctors or nurses who treated her of the alleged assault to which the complainant said she thought it was not vital.
In yet another audio recording, she is also heard reportedly telling the accused that she loves him so much and asking him if he was satisfied after intimacy, before claiming that “he had used supernatural powers to seduce her” after being queried by the defence attorneys why she sent such messages to the accused person.
The allegations are that from November 2, 2020, up to July 2021 the accused had intimacy with the complainant without her consent, charges which the accused person vehemently denies.
The case was heard before Harare magistrate Gloria Takundwa and trial is set to resume today.