A woman in her 50s has been found guilty of raping an eight-year-old boy and infected him with sexually transmitted diseases.
Desderia Mbwelwa was on Friday last week sentenced to 29 years in prison by a Tanzanian court.
On the day of the incident, Mbwelwa found the victim herding cattle at a village in southern district of Iringa and asked where his friends were.
She then sexually assaulted him under a tree after he said that his friends were not around.
The case had five witnesses including a doctor who examined the boy and confirmed he had injuries and had contracted sexual infections due to contamination in the genital area.
Mbwelwa is said to have defended herself by saying she is an adult with children and grandchildren who depend on her.
Her lawyer, Frank Mwela, said that he plans to appeal against the verdict because his client was not tested to confirm if she indeed had sexually transmitted diseases.
