http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/0,,2-11-1662_2326149,00.html

24.com
May 21 2008; 08:36 (SA)

Zim uncle cleared of sex murder
Sapa-dpa

Wellington - Zimbabwe immigrant George Evans Gwaze, 54, was found not guilty in Christchurch on Wednesday of the sex murder of his 10-year-old orphaned niece Charlene Makaza, news reports said.

The girl, who was HIV positive and had lived with Gwaze and his family since her mother died when she was seven months old, was found dead at their suburban home in January last year.

A jury took over four hours to acquit Gwaze after a four-week trial in which evidence was given that his DNA had been found in some of the girl's underwear recovered from a washing machine.

The trial heard that all the family was at home at the time and there was no evidence of an intruder breaking in.

Gwaze's lawyer argued that the girl died of natural causes and a South African professor, Heinz Rode, told the court that her symptoms were consistent with those of a group of HIV children who had died suddenly.

The family emigrated to New Zealand about a year before she died.