’Mantoetse Maama

MASERU — A 29-year-old Ugandan man was last week charged with fraud, forgery and violating the Aliens Control Act when he appeared in the Thaba-Tseka Magistrate’s Court. Police spokesman Masupha Masupha said the man was found in possession of fake documents that gave him the right to stay in the country.

“A Ugandan man, James Didi, was charged for being in possession of fake documents that gave him the right to stay in Lesotho. The suspect called one phone-in radio programme claiming that he has legal documents that give him the right to stay in Lesotho,” Masupha said. The suspect appeared before the magistrate’s court facing three charges. Masupha said some of the documents Didi was found in possession of had genuine police stamps adding they did not know how he got possession of the official stamps.

The suspect is expected to appear in court this week. Meanwhile, the Lesotho News Agency (Lena) reports that a 24-year-old man from Ha Mokhohla in Roma was on Friday sentenced to eight years in prison without an option of a fine after he was found guilty of raping a four-year-old girl. Fusi Letšaba raped the girl on April 13 at Lower Thamae in Maseru. A witness told the court that the girl had confided in her that she had been raped but had dismissed her claims thinking she did not understand anything about rape.

But she said the girl then repeated the statement pointing at her private parts. “I took the child to bed, undressed and inspected her together with other village women,” she testified, stating the girl had bruises in her private parts. She then reported the matter to the police. Letšaba admitted committing the crime and in mitigation asked for a lenient sentence as he had shown remorse. The court ordered that he should undergo HIV and Aids testing. In its ruling the court said this was not a case of mistaken identity as the accused was well known in the community.