Friend’s Stunning Claims Cast Doubt in Mai Jeremaya Rape Case
The final prosecution witness in the rape case involving socialite Ashley “Mai Jeremaya” Masendeke gave surprising testimony in court on Tuesday, claiming that the alleged victim admitted to willingly sleeping with one of the accused men because he was “talking to her nicely”.
Mai Jeremaya’s Friend in Stunning Claims
Testifying before the court, Cythina Duringo, a friend of Mai Jeremaya, said that her friend opened up about the night in question. According to Duringo, Mai Jeremaya told her that she was taken to a lodge in Harare by the two accused men, Thabo Blessing Dube and Martin Charlie, who had claimed they were taking her to meet their boss.
“She told me that the two were taking her to their boss, and when they got to the reception, they spent some time chatting and watching her skits. She told me that later on, someone directed her to a room that had two doors, and one of her assailants went with her, and the other one used the other door to get in. She said that’s when she saw that it wasn’t an ordinary meeting, but just played along so that they wouldn’t hurt her as she had seen a gun,” said Ms Duringo.
Duringo went on to say that Mai Jeremaya told her she felt more comfortable with one of the men, described as light-skinned, because he spoke kindly to her. She reportedly told her friend that she agreed to sleep with him and stayed in the room voluntarily.
However, Duringo also said the encounter felt long and uncomfortable for Mai Jeremaya, especially since another person kept entering and leaving the room. After it ended, she said she was given US$10, which she used to get home.
“She said the encounter was very long because she didn’t like it, and there was someone who kept coming in and out of the room, which made her uncomfortable. She told me that after the encounter, she was given US$10, which she used to come back home,” said Ms Duringo.
Also read: Defence Lawyers Poke Holes In Mai Jeremaya’s Testimony Citing Inconsistencies
Mai Jeremaya Wanted to Keep Rape Case A Secret From Hubby
Shepherd Makonde and George Manokore, the defence lawyers, grilled Duringo on the stand, pointing out differences between her testimony and what Mai Jeremaya had told the court earlier.
Makonde asked why Mai Jeremaya had left Duringo’s home after the alleged rape. Duringo explained that she had simply come over for a sleepover.
The lawyer then brought up a bizarre claim from earlier court proceedings — that Duringo had tried to “exorcise” Mai Jeremaya using snuff placed in a pipe. Duringo, flatly denied this, saying that Mai Jeremaya had lied.
Duringo also admitted that she was the one who told Mai Jeremaya’s husband about the alleged rape, even though she had been asked to keep it a secret. She agreed that the husband would never have found out if she had kept quiet.
After Duringo’s testimony, Prosecutor Cecilia Mashingaidze closed the State’s case.
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The post Friend’s Stunning Claims Cast Doubt in Mai Jeremaya Rape Case appeared first on iHarare News.
