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Step mother jailed for pulling son’s manhood
Luwingu, May 31,ZANIS —– A 33 year old woman has been sentenced to five years simple imprisonment after she pleaded guilty for one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm contrary to the laws of Zambia.
Appearing before Magistrate Davy Simfukwe was Annie Chanda 33 of Molokai village in Senior chief Shimumbu in Luwingu district in the Northern province.
Facts before Magistrate Mr Simfukwe were that Annie on 28th April 2013 did injure a child aged 7 by pulling his manhood as a way to instil discipline for urinating on the reed mat.
Annie who is the step mother told the court that the child has been urinating on his reed mat every day despite having advised him to stop but failed and instead she decided to pull down his manhood so that the child stops the habit.
“I asked the juvenile why he had continued to urinate on the mat but he could not give satisfactory answer, I got hold on to his penis and twisted it with a view of stopping him from urinating,” she disclosed.
In mitigation Annie pleaded for lenience by saying she did that merely to discipline her step son from urinating.
And Magistrate Simfukwe said the convict being the first offender and having readily admitted the charge was entitled to lenience but the case committed has a minimum sentence of five years and not exceeding 10 years.
He explained that children are always vulnerable and they need to be protected at all times.
“One wonders how a person could think of pulling the manhood of defenceless child as the way of disciplining him,” he said.
Mr Simfukwe said the courts are duty bound to protect vulnerable children in society by imposing stiffer penalties to deter would be offenders like the convict.
He said although the convict was the first offender the case calls for a minimum sentence of five years imprisonment and not exceeding 10 years. “The only way I can express lenience is by sentencing the convict to the minimum sentence as provided for under the law,” he said.
Annie was sentenced to five years simple imprisonment for one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm contrary to section 248 (a) of the penal code chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.
