Cop ‘biter’ jailed 6 months
Written by Millennium on July 29, 2019
OLIVER SAMBOKO writes
THE Kariba Magistrates Court has sentenced a 27-year-old Makuti man to six months in prison for biting a policeman on the upper lip during his arrest.
Peter Nongwe, who was facing two counts of malicious damage to property and assaulting a police officer on duty, was also ordered to pay a $300 fine.
Nongwe was ordered to pay a fine of $300 or to serve three months on the first count.
In the second count the court slapped him with six months in prison, of which three months was suspended for five years on condition he does not commit a similar offence during the suspension.
Nongwe, who was initially being sought on one count of malicious damage to property for ‘attcking’ a car belonging to his friend, got an additional charge after he resisted arrest and in the process bit a police officer.
When the matter came up before Magistrate Bianca Mahere, he pleaded guilty to both charges, but on the second count he defended himself saying he did not know that the person he was biting was a policeman.
Particulars of the offence were that on June 21, 2019, the owner of the car and complaint in the first count went to visit Nongwe at his home in Tsetse Compound in Makuti.
But the two picked up a quarrel.
The court heard that it was during the confrontation that Nongwe caused damage to the car using a stone, leading to his apprehension.
Magistrate Mahere heard that after Nongwe was apprehended and taken to Makuti Police Station, Constable Tafadzwa Mupepereke, who was on duty at the time, ordered him to remove his belt and to submit all his personal belongings but he refused.
During the process of detention, Nongwe sneaked out of the charge office and when Const Mupepereke chased him in the corridor, he turned and attacked him.
Nongwe grabbed the policeman by the neck and bit him on the upper lip.
Passing the sentence, the magistrate said there was overwhelming evidence against Nongwe and convicted him of the offences.
Magistrate Mahere said it was the duty of the court to give appropriate punishment to such offenders to deter others from committing a similar offence.
”The court has convicted you to send a strong message to the community that the court will not accept anyone to assault a police officer on duty.
“I therefore give you a custodial sentence,” she said.
