GRACE CHAILE
Lusaka
A DNA report presented before the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court has revealed that a Zambia Air Force (ZAF) flight sergeant accused of defiling and impregnating his 14-year-old daughter is not the biological father of the baby at the centre of the case.
State forensic analyst Innocent Makasa told magistrate Kawama Mwamfuli that DNA analysis excluded the 41-year-old accused as the biological father of the child born from the alleged incest. Dr Makasa, however, clarified that the DNA findings could not conclusively determine whether sexual intercourse had occurred between the accused and the victim. “Not every act of sexual intercourse results in pregnancy,” he testified.
The DNA report also indicated that the accused is the biological father of the victim. Following presentation of the DNA report, the accused maintained his innocence and denied ever having carnal knowledge of his daughter. The flight sergeant told the court that when the victim was discovered to be pregnant, she informed medical personnel that he was responsible for the pregnancy after allegedly having sexual intercourse with her on one occasion.
He said the exact period of conception was only established after the victim underwent a scan, which indicated that the pregnancy was conceived in August 2024. According to the accused, the victim and her mother were not at home during that period as they had travelled to Chiawa, a circumstance he said cast doubt on the allegation that he had sexual intercourse with his daughter.
He further told the court that before the pregnancy was discovered, the victim had been complaining of abdominal pain. Medical personnel initially suspected kidney complications or inflammation, which they believed may have been caused by medication that her kidneys were unable to properly filter. The accused said he repeatedly asked the victim if she was pregnant, but she denied being with a child.
In his defence, the flight sergeant also alleged that the victim had been involved in a sexual relationship with his 21-year-old nephew, whom he described as one of his dependants. In his earlier defence, the accused told the court that the relationship came to light in March 2024 after his younger brother allegedly found the pair having sexual intercourse in the sitting room of his house.
The accused said he strongly believed the nephew was responsible for the pregnancy and questioned why he had not been taken to court. “I am a victim of implication by some of the dependants I have been keeping. My nephew was suspected of having a relationship with my daughter last year.
My younger brother found the two having carnal knowledge in the sitting room,” he said. Yesterday, the accused submitted that the DNA findings supported his defence.
“Therefore, your honour, as the results have indicated that I am not the father of the child, I strongly deny having carnal knowledge of my daughter or impregnating her,” he told the court. He is charged with incest contrary to Section 156(1) of the Penal Code, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years upon conviction. Magistrate Mwamfuli has set July 8, 2026 as the date for judgment.
