ZAMBIA – A 16-YEAR-old Lusaka maid has admitted assaulting a one-year-old infant by pouring hot water on him after he defecated on himself.

The juvenile is charged with assault on a child occasioning actual bodily harm.

It is alleged that on January 9, 2020, in Lusaka’s 10 Miles area, the 16-year-old maid assaulted a child below the age of 16 years, thereby occasioning actual bodily harm.

When the matter came up before Magistrate Nsunge Chanda yesterday, the juvenile pleaded guilty.

The accused told the Court that she slapped the boy after he soiled his pants and later poured hot water on him as she was about to cook nshima.

“Yes, I beat him because he defecated on himself; he is not my son, I was just a maid and I burnt him on his back (with the hot water),” narrated the accused.

Facts before the Court are that on the material day, the accused poured hot water on the boy after discovering that the infant had soiled himself.

The accused was apparently seen by another juvenile, who was present and later alerted neighbours and the mother to the victim, who then reported the matter to police.

And questioning the guardian, Magistrate Chanda noted that the accused was a minor and should not be allowed custody of another child and warned the victim’s step-father, who acted as guardian, to ensure that he worked hard to ensure that he took his children to school, even as he remained unemployed.

The accused remains in custody and the matter has since been adjourned to March 11, 2020, for presentation of facts.

Zambia Observer