Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. One of the two men accused of gang raping social media personality Mai Jeremaya claimed in court that the encounter was consensual.
Testifying on Monday, 30 June, Martin Charlie alleged that Mai Jeremaya willingly engaged in sexual activity with him at a Harare lodge and even complimented his performance, saying he was better than her husband.
Charlie further claimed that Mai Jeremaya had told him she charged US$20 an hour for sex. He said he picked her up in the Harare CBD, and the two stopped at a fast food outlet at Joina City before proceeding to the lodge. He said:After we met on the day in question, in the company of the first accused, Thabo Blessing Dube, we went to Joina City, where I disembarked and left Mai Jeremaya and Dube sitting in the car.
I went to KFC, where I bought my food and ate there before going back to the car.
When I came back to the car, Dube advised me that Mai Jeremaya was offering sexual services, so I looked back at her to confirm if Dube was telling me the truth, and she said ‘yes’.
I looked at Dube and we both laughed, then I looked at her again and asked her if she was serious, and she said ‘yes’.
I then asked her about the charges, and she said she charged US$20 per hour.
I then asked her where we would engage in the sexual activity, and she said at a lodge.
Charlie told the court that after leaving the fast-food outlet, they drove to Paradise Lodge at Number 15 Frank Johnson, playing music and laughing along the way.
He said Mai Jeremaya appeared to be in good spirits throughout the drive.
His lawyer, Shepherd Makonde, asked him to recount what transpired once they entered the lodge room. Charlie said:
When we got into the room, after I closed the door and we sat on the bed, she asked for her money, which was the payment in advance.
I gave her the money, which she put away before she removed her clothes and was left with a bra and pulling socks.
She then walked to me and I stood up, then she removed my shirt, she started sucking my nipples and kissing my stomach.
She then got hold of my belt while kissing my nipples and further removed my trousers… and then pushed me onto the bed.
She asked me where the condoms were, and I told her that they were in my pocket. Then she took the condom and opened it with her mouth, and put it on me.
She removed her pulling socks and mounted on top of me.
She asked me if it was going well and if I was enjoying it. I then said it was going well.
I then stopped after I was done, and she removed the condom, thanking me, saying I had done it better than her husband.
Charlie further claimed that Mai Jeremaya began demanding additional money, arguing that she had provided him with “extras” during their encounter. He said:
She said she wanted US$500 and I told her that I didn’t have that kind of money. Then she said even US$300 was okay, and I still told her that I didn’t have that kind of money.
She said okay, then we went to take a bath, then left the lodge for town, where I booked an InDrive to take her home.
She never screamed during the act, and she did all she could for us to enjoy, and the place was full that if she had screamed for help, she would have been assisted.
When asked where he believed the rape allegations had originated, Charlie suggested that Mai Jeremaya may have fabricated the claims to protect her marriage, after her husband discovered she had engaged in sex for money. He added:
On 3 May, she called me asking about my whereabouts, and she came with Tafadzwa Chidawa, who asked me how I could have sex with Mai Jeremya for US$20 instead of the US$500 that she was demanding.
During cross-examination, prosecutor Cecilia Mashingaidze accused Charlie of lying to the court, arguing that his account failed to demonstrate anything unusual that could justify his claim of having received “extras.”
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