NDOLA High Court Judge in-Charge Emelia Sunkutu has sentenced a 26-year-old man to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a three-year-old baby.

This is in a case where Evans Mwansa stood charged with defilement contrary to the Laws of Zambia.

Judge Sunkutu said evidence produced before the lower court supported the charge and that Mwansa was correctly convicted.

In mitigation, Mwansa’s lawyer John Kayuni asked the court to exercise maximum leniency as his client was a first offender.

But in sentencing, Judge Sunkutu expressed concern at the escalating numbers of defilement cases.

“People like yourself have no regard for the law and decency, you are a young man, I see no reason why you could not find someone of your age but pounced on a child aged three years and four months, I really don’t understand why a grown man would have sex with a child barely out of diapers,” Judge Sunkutu said.

Judge Sunkutu also wondered the language the courts could use to discourage such heinous crimes before jailing him for 25 years.

Meanwhile, Judge Sunkutu sentenced another man to 15 years imprisonment for defiling his cousin who is mentally challenged.

In this case, Richard Banda was convicted of defilement of an imbecile by the Ndola magistrate’s court.

Judge Sunkutu also noted that Banda was properly convicted by the lower court.

She sentenced Banda to 15 years imprisonment adding that the aggravating factor was that he defiled his cousin who is mentally challenged.

“It was unacceptable and barbaric behavior, even if your victim was not your relative, the fact that someone was not well mentally you should have protected her,” said Judge Sunkutu.