A prosecutor and a lawyer have appeared in court for obstructing justice in a rape case.
Public Prosecutor Timothy Katsande (34) and lawyer Benjamin Basikiti (35) appeared before Mutare Magistrates’ Court on charges of defeating or obstructing the course of justice.
The two are accused of conspiring to alter facts in a rape case involving a 13-year-old girl. They allegedly drafted and tendered a false Statement of Agreed Facts, suggesting the child and the accused rapist were in a consensual relationship and not related-contrary to evidence in the docket.
This deception led the perpetrator to plead guilty to a lesser offence of sexual intercourse with a minor, resulting in a lighter sentence of 36 months imprisonment, part of which was suspended.
On September 4, 2025, the court dismissed the pair’s application for discharge at the close of the State’s case, ruling that they have a case to answer.
The matter was remanded to September 12, 2025, for the defence case.
