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By Raphael Tenthani
BBC correspondent in Blantyre
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The nun was allowed to put on her habit after being
arrested |
A Catholic
priest and nun have been convicted in Malawi for making love in an airport
car park.
The 43-year-old priest and 26-year-old nun were caught "in the act" in
a tinted saloon car parked at Lilongwe International Airport.
"It was a bizarre spectacle, the public alerted airport police after
noticing the car shaking in a funny way," police spokesman Kelvin Maigwa
told the BBC.
The pair received a suspended six-month jail sentence with hard labour.
Remorse
In a packed and giggling court-room, both the priest and the nun
pleaded guilty to the charge of indecent behaviour in a public place and
disorderly conduct.
The nun tearfully told the magistrate she regretted her brief lapse in
judgement, while the priest said that as a man of God he accepted Satan
had tempted him.
 |
 We thought they could be rushing for a
plane... but they never got out of the car 
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Magistrate Arthur
Mtalimanja accepted their pleas in mitigation, but admonished them saying
that as servants of God they were the last to be expected to misbehave in
public.
"I therefore sentence you to six months imprisonment with hard labour,
but I will suspend it... because you have shown remorse," he said.
The two were first noticed at the airport by eyewitnesses as they
parked the car and wound up the tinted windows.
"We thought they could be rushing for a plane that was about to take
off but we were surprised that they never got out of the car," said a taxi
driver.
After being arrested, the nun was allowed to put on her habit, Mr
Maigwa said.
The priest was dressed in civilian clothes, he said.
If the couple repeat the offence in the next 18 months they will go to
jail, the magistrate said.
