A 28-year-old Lusaka maid and a 39-year-old businessman have been sentenced to five years simple imprisonment for abducting two children of Asian origin.

Hellen Banda and businessman Chilumina Kambwili were charged with abduction and theft of a motor vehicle.

Banda and Kambwili pleaded guilty of abducting Sundrshan Patel and Njlakshi Patel who are aged 10 and 7 respectively.

The two victims are Kumar D. Patel’s children.

The offence was committed on September 13, 2021.

Banda and Kambwili on the same day they abducted the children also stole a motor vehicle, a Toyota Allion registration number BAG 5479, valued at K110,000, the property of Patel.

The accused confirmed to Lusaka chief resident magistrate Dominic Makalicha that the facts presented in court about the case were true and correct.

Magistrate Makalicha convicted them following their own confirmation that the facts presented were true and correct.

Banda in mitigation pleaded for mercy saying she was very sorry.

“I feel bad of what I did. I ask for mercy. I realized that what I did as a mother was very bad. I regret doing that Your Honour, I am very sorry to the court and to the mother of the children I understand what she went through,” she said.

And Kambwili pleaded for maximum leniency.

He said he was deeply sorry and regrets his actions.

Passing sentence, magistrate Makalicha said he heard their mitigation but said that what the two convicts did was very bad.

“You should learn to respect other people’s lives. They are better ways of making money and not what you did. It’s unacceptable. You deserve to be punished so that others can learn from you. You deserve a stiffer punishment which is to go to jail,” he said.

Magistrate Makalicha said the convicts will serve five years in count one, two years in count two and five years in count three.

He ordered that the sentences shall run concurrently.

The convicts will serve five years effective today.

Source: Mwebantu