Lawyers representing the two men accused of raping social media star Mai Jeremaya said there were discrepancies between her evidence-in-chief and the three statements which she gave to the police.
Mai Jeremaya,
whose real name is Ashley Masendeke, is accusing Thabo Blessing Dube and Martin
Charlie of gang raping her at a lodge in Harare on April 30 this year.
The rape trial
resumed yesterday with Mai Jeremaya being cross examined on her
evidence-in-chief given last Friday.
Dube and
Charlie’s lawyers – Shepherd Makonde and George Manokore – asked Mai Jeremaya
why there were discrepancies between her evidence-in-chief, which she gave in
court, and her three statements given to the police.
The defence
insinuated that a man called Sam, who is a key figure in this case after Mai
Jeremaya claimed he was the person who first contacted her first prior to the
rape, was a product of her fictitious creation.
“I take it it’s
you who just saved his number as Sam because, according to the evidence before
this court, you never met with this Sam,” said Makonde.
In response Mai
Jeremaya said she had made the conclusion that it was Dube who was using the
pseudonym ‘Sam’ to lure her.
Asked to
produce any forensic evidence from mobile service providers to show that,
indeed, it was the same number which Dube was using, Mai Jeremaya said she did
not have such evidence.
Due to time
constraints, the matter was rolled over to Friday when the defence is expected
to cross examine her on the merits of the case.
On Friday, in
her evidence-in-chief Mai Jeremaya said she pleaded with Charlie to use a
condom just before she was allegedly raped.
The social
media star painted a graphic picture of how she was raped and how the incident
has destroyed her eight-year-old relationship with her partner.
Mai Jeremaya
told the court that:
• She started
crying when she realised she was about to be raped by Charlie.
• Fear of her
attacker forced her to remove her clothes, when Charlie removed his clothes,
she pleaded with him to use condoms. Charlie allegedly fondled her and demanded
that she should kiss his private parts.
• After being
allegedly raped by the duo, she initially decided she was not going to tell
anyone about her ordeal because she feared the backlash, including the
embarrassment she would have to endure.
• One of her
attackers scared her when he claimed he had access to some classified
information and he would hunt her down and find her wherever she would hide.
• She suffered
physically and has since been forced to rely on medication, including some
which she reacted to, which makes it difficult for her to sleep.
• She now
suffers from anxiety and although she was having challenges with her partner,
before this incident, she feels the case has destroyed that partnership.
The duo are
denying the charges and are claiming the two parties agreed to have sex in
exchange for a payment.
Charlie claims
Mai Jeremaya allegedly demanded for an advance payment of US$20, which was
given. H Metro
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