The Magistrate’s Court in Chikwawa has ordered a goat owner to spend the next years in prison for seriously injuring his 13 year old herd-boy.
Shuva aged 29 was found guilty of acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm during a Tuesday’s court session where he admitted to the charge.
The court heard, through Inspector Helix Kamkweche that on 13 March, 2018 at Chikhambi Village in Traditional Authority Katunga’s area in the district, the victim, Ben Petro went to graze his master’s goats and eight goats went missing, suspected to have been stolen.
“When the boy reported the matter to his master (the convict), he couldn’t be convinced. He became very angry and began assaulting him. He sustained injuries from the beatings and rushed to the hospital after sourcing a referral letter from the police,” explained Prosecutor Kamkweche.
In his sentence, Second Grade Magistrate, Joram Zebron concurred with the state that earlier asked the court to pass stiffer penalty to the convict.
The magistrate reproached the convict for displaying beastly acts which he argued rightly deserved custodial sentence.
He later convicted and sentenced the convict to eight years imprisonment with hard labour (IHL).
Shuva hails from Chikhambi Village in the area of Traditional Authority Katunga in Chikwawa District while Petro is from Mwakala Village in Senior Chief Mphuka’s area in Thyolo District.
In the same court, 22 year old Nasiyani Zuze of Katamalinga Village in Traditional Authority Maseya in Chikwawa District was sentenced to pay a fine of K25,000 or in default serve eight months IHL, for unlawfully wounding a fellow woman, Mercy Chagonapanja aged 35, accusing her of being in love with her husband.
Zuze has since not paid the fine.
