HARARE – A High Court judge’s husband facing rape and theft charges on Friday accused his wife’s brother of trying to break his marriage by fabricating the charges.

Cleopas Mugomba, 44, was defending himself in a case he is accused of raping his house maid, attempted rape and theft of a cellphone.

He told Harare magistrate Bianca Makwande that his in-law, only identified as “Takadzwa’s father” was on a mission to shame his sister, Justice Slyvia Chirau, yet he lives under her roof.

“What would you say if I told you that you are conniving with accused’s brother-in-law to bring his name into disrepute and also to embarrass his wife?” asked Mugomba’s lawyer, Admire Rubaya while cross examining the complainant.

“What will be your comment again, if I told the court that you laid charges against Mugomba because he caught you chatting to his in-laws when he made it clear that you shouldn’t talk to them?” he further asked.

The complainant, in reply, told court that she was not close to the in-laws as alleged.

She said Mugomba should have simply fired her if he discovered she was going against his rules.

She said there were many people who could testify against him since their scuffle following the attempted rape at a house in Borrowdale attracted the attention of neighbours. She was on her way to the police station and Mugomba had begged her not to file charges.

Mugomba, who denies the charges, told court there was no way he could have raped the complainant as the two were in the company of his other house helper identified as Simplicio at all the material time.

The case was postponed to August 3 for continuation of trial.

Mugomba landed in the dock after he allegedly raped the maid at a house in Borrowdale. They had gone to the property to clean it in readiness for the judge and her family to move in, it is alleged.

It is alleged he tried to rape her again at the same place when his wife was out of the country but the girl managed to flee after her mobile phone accidentally took some screen shots during the scuffle.

The court heard Mugomba thought the complainant was filming him and demanded to see her cellphone.

The victim managed to escape as he went through her phone’s gallery to erase the captured images.

He however failed to surrender the phone upon his arrest, said Ressie Nyamombe for the prosecution.