WALTER MWALE AND ELVIS TAONA FROM MOSELEY AND OXFORD SENTENCED FOR RAPE IN AYLESBURY

In a disturbing case that unfolded in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, two men, Walter Mwale and Elvis Taona, were convicted of heinous sexual assault involving a 13-year-old girl. The incident, which took place on July 29 of the previous year, has left a lasting impact on the victim and has drawn significant attention from the local community and legal authorities alike.

According to court proceedings, Walter Mwale, aged 19 and residing on Dennis Road in Moseley, along with his accomplice Elvis Taona, aged 22 and from Court Farm Road in Oxford, initiated contact with the young girl and her friends during the afternoon in Aylesbury town centre. The girl, who was under the influence of vodka and visibly intoxicated, was approached by the two men, some of whom she knew from previous encounters. The court heard that the girl had been drinking earlier in the day, which contributed to her vulnerable state at the time of the assault.

Following their initial interaction, Mwale and Taona took the girl to a secluded location—a wheelie bin store situated within a block of flats in the Prebendal Farm area of Aylesbury. It was there that the assault occurred, with the court describing the attack as 'sordid' in nature. The judge, Julian Hall, detailed that the assault was brief but profoundly disturbing. The victim’s ordeal was only interrupted when one of her friends discovered her in a distressed condition inside the store cupboard. Witnesses saw Mwale and Taona celebrating their actions by exchanging high-fives, an act that the judge condemned as particularly distasteful.

During sentencing, Judge Hall emphasized that neither of the men had used threats or coercion to force the girl into the act. Nonetheless, he condemned their behavior, describing the episode as a 'sordid little episode' and criticizing their subsequent celebration. Both Mwale and Taona received identical sentences of eight years in a young offenders' institution. The judge also noted the short duration of the incident but expressed his disapproval of their conduct afterward.

In addition to the sexual assault conviction, Mwale was sentenced to six months for possessing a knife, which was discovered hidden in his sock during police questioning a few days after the attack. This sentence is to run concurrently with his sentence for the rape. The court heard that Taona had fled persecution in Zimbabwe and that his mother is employed by the NHS, although his father has passed away. Taona’s defense argued that he had a different cultural perspective on women, referencing a pre-sentence report where he noted how women behave differently in the UK compared to Zimbabwe.

The victim, in her victim impact statement, described how the assault had affected her life, though she did not report any threats from the men. She reported the incident to police several days later. Both men denied the charges of rape but were found guilty by a jury in January. The case has highlighted issues surrounding youth violence and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals in the area, prompting ongoing discussions about safeguarding and community safety in Aylesbury and beyond.