A MAN of Kitwe has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with hard labour for raping a woman who was carrying a baby on her back.

Casta Chitambo, 29, of Ipusukilo Township was charged with rape after he forced himself on the woman on October 25, 2011.

High Court Judge Isaac Chali upheld the conviction of Chitambo by the lower court and imposed a 20-year jail sentence on him.

Evidence in court was that on the material day, the woman was in the company of her boyfriend and had her baby strapped to her back when they met Chitambo.

Chitambo produced a knife, prompting the woman's boyfriend to run away.

He threatened to stab the woman if she resisted to have sex with him and later informed her that if it was not for the baby, he would have killed her.

The court heard that the woman was ordered to breastfeed the baby so that she could stop crying while Chitambo raped her.

In defence, he denied committing the offence and claimed that the woman just hated him.

He said he was surprised when he was apprehended when buying cigarettes.