Balaka Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court has convicted and sentenced Lilian Matako and Ishmael Chitete to 12 months imprisonment with hard labor for assaulting a 9-year old girl.
However, the two will not spend any time in jail as their sentences have been commuted to community service. This means that as long as they each complete 480 hours of community service instead then they will avoid a jail term.
The ruling, delivered on Friday, July 26, 2024, by Senior Resident Magistrate Joshua Nkhono, mandates that Matako and Chitete perform their community service at the Balaka Police Station Victim Support Unit and the Social Welfare Office in Balaka District.
The case which received public condemnation through social media, involved the assault of a 9-year-old girl, to which both Matako and Chitete pleaded guilty.
In his sentencing remarks, Magistrate Nkhono noted the mitigating circumstances that Matako is a single parent and the primary guardian of the victim, while Chitete was influenced by Matako to partake in the assault and is also a first-time offender.
