THE Lusaka High Court has sentenced a Lusaka trader to 30 years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a seven-year-old girl, who is a daughter of his friend.

Charles Chipwalamuka 39, of Mtendere Township will spend the next 30 years behind bars for abusing the girl on June 4.

High Court Judge Sharpe Phiri said the accused was a family friend whom the victim's parents had kept at some point in their house.

Ms Justice Phiri said she was satisfied that the prosecution team had succeeded in discharging their evidential burden of proving each and every ingredient of the offence Chipwalamuka was facing beyond reasonable doubt.

"It is a fact that the victim was defiled by the accused who lived with the victim's family at some point.

" I find the accused guilty of the offence and I accordingly sentence him to 30 years imprisonment with hard labour," the judge said.

Mother to the girl from Kafue testified that on June 14, she noticed that her daughter was struggling to walk after bathing.

Upon inquiring the girl refused to say what had happened but started crying and later revealed that Chipwalamuka had defiled her.

"At this point I decided to check my daughter. I noticed that she had three cuts on her private parts and was bleeding" she said.

The mother immediately rushed to the nearest police station where she reported the matter and later took the girl to the hospital.