Adam Abdi Mahommed, a Somali refugee who is facing a charge of defilement, last week told Francistown Regional Magistrate, Lesang Makati, that the charge of defilement leveled against him by fellow Somalis is merely to frame him because he is innocent.
The suspect, who is based at Dukwi Refugee Camp, indicated that the charge was merely manufactured against him because of the animosity of fellow Somalians against the religion of Christianity.
He indicated that the father to the complainant, (name given), formed the whole story as a way of getting back to him for practicing a different religion.
Leading evidence in court, the accused went further to state that there was a time when the father to the complainant pleaded with him to give him P25 000 or he would file a false charge against him.
“This was intentionally done by the father of the complainant in order to frame me because I refused to give him P25 000 and because I am a Christian,” he said.
He went on to tell the court that the complainant’s father once approached him and asked him for a loan of P1 500 but refused to pay back the money. The accused pointed out that he then told the Somali elders at the refugee camp about the issue and then the complainant’s father agreed that he owed him.
The Somalian community then decided to help him out by contributing to pay part of the money owed and he then failed again to bring back the balance.
According to the charge sheet, the accused is, between 2003 and 2006 at Dukwi refugee camp, raped a minor. It is alleged that the accused took the complainant who was playing with his children and raped her in his house by enticing her with sweets. The accused is also alleged to have taken the complainant to his house in Letlhakane where he now stays and also raped her again.
However, Mahommed told court in his evidence that although he has a house at the Dukwi refugee camp, he now stays in Letlhakane for fear for his life as he was once assaulted by two Somalis in 2005 at the camp, indicating that they would kill him for being a Christian. He highlighted that the father of the complainant also confronted him and told him that, while he was in Letlhakane, he had an affair with his wife and also raped his daughter who is a minor.
“He asked me to give him some money so that he would not open a docket with the Police,” said the accused.
The accused maintained that he did not even know the complainant’s children and added that he never had any cordial relationship with the complainant’s father. He brought in two witnesses to give evidence in court.
The accused is represented by Francistown based lawyer Mboni Manyothwane and the state is represented by Reneetswe Rabosotho.
Final submissions will be made next month.
