A 47-year-old father, CH, on trial for allegedly defiling his seven-year-old daughter at the Cancer Diseases Hospital (CDH), has denied the charges, claiming a photo presented in court showing a medical examination of the child did not depict his daughter.
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CH, a farmer from Southern Province, was presented with a photograph in court that allegedly showed a nurse examining his daughter’s private parts.
He asserted that the individual in the photo had pubic hair and larger thighs, unlike his daughter, who he claims has no pubic hair.
However, Dr Grace Chingo, a pediatric oncologist who conducted the examination, testified that the photo showed no pubic hair, only a reddish coloration around the left side of the vagina.
When the court re-showed CH the photos for closer inspection, he had no words but just smiled.
The alleged incident occurred between September 20, 2024, and March 11, 2025, while CH was reportedly acting as a bedside caregiver for his ailing daughter, FH, who was undergoing cancer treatment.
Dr Chingo testified before Resident Magistrate Kawama Mwamfuli that on March 11, 2025, she was alerted to a suspected case of sexual abuse involving FH by the acting nurse in charge.
Upon examining the child, Dr Chingo noted a laceration.
“We assessed the child from the clinic area, took her into the consultations room, put her on the examination couch, we asked if there was anywhere paining she said no, we removed the pants. When we assessed, there was a laceration and the vagina hole was big for her age, there was reddish coloration around the left side of the vagina,” she said.
Dr Chingo, who was accompanied by another doctor, Dorcus Muswaya, during the assessment, stated that the examination strongly suggested sexual abuse.
The trial was adjourned to July 14, 2025, for continuation.
By Lucy Phiri
Kalemba July 11, 2025
