Kabwe High Court sentences three men to death by hanging

The Kabwe High Court has sentenced three men to death by hanging for the murder of a 70-year-old woman in Serenje district of Central Province.

This was in a case in which the accused persons, Aaron Ngosa, Kelvin Mwewa and Lyson Kunda, jointly stood charged with the offence of murder contrary to Section 200 of the Penal Code, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

Kabwe High Court Acting Judge-In-Charge, Charles Zulu, in passing judgement, said the trio was without extenuating circumstances, neither can killing be justified in law or otherwise.

Mr Zulu observed that the accused persons had no regard whatsoever to the law of the land and as sane adults knew the consequence of murder, and must bear capital punishment.

He said the sentence in respect of the each convict is death and that accordingly, each convict is sentenced to death by hanging until pronounced dead.

Particulars of the offence were that on April 6, 2017, at Serenje District, the trio, jointly and whilst acting together, murdered Jean Bangwe under the belief that the deceased was practicing witchcraft.

The court heard that the State called for prosecution witnesses, among them Charles Kunda, the son of the deceased, and Oscar Musanda, the patient believed to have been bewitched by the deceased.

Judge Zulu described the manner in which the trio murdered their aunt as shocking, inhuman and devilish.

He observed that the killing was not spontaneous but premeditated and argued that though the accused had consumed alcohol, it was his considered opinion that the accused persons had the ability to form rational judgement and exercise self-control.

He noted that the trio tried to exercise some form of self-control albeit misconceived by asking the deceased to confirm her consent to the killings in the family.

Judge Zulu said he considered all the evidenced adduced before the court and that the court was duty bound to met out punishment that will deter other would-be offenders.

And Kabwe High Court Acting Charge-In-Charge, Charles Zulu, has sentenced a 47-year-old man of Kabwe District to 30 years imprisonment with hard labour for defilement.

Judge Zulu said he took into account the evidence before the court and the mitigation by the prosecutions bench that he was a first offender.

However, he said the culprit waylaid the unsuspecting victim from school and took her to the nearby bush where he defiled her before attempting to run away.

He observed that the culprit was only arrested by a concerned citizen, adding that looking at the escalating cases of defilement, his conduct could not be condoned and that he was sending him to jail for 30 years imprisonment with hard labour.