Bus Conductor Jailed For Beating Driver

By NANCY SIAME
A 19-year-old bus conductor of Ndola has been slapped with a one year imprisonment with hard labour suspended sentence for beating up a bus driver.
Watson Chungu of House number 0220, Kawama, was facing one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm contrary to Section 248 of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
Magistrate Chitundu Chongo on Wednesday convicted Chungu after he admitted the offence.
Particulars of the offence were that Chungu on October 19, 2013 in Ndola did assault Banny Zimba thereby occasioning him actual bodily harm.
Facts before the court were that on the material day, Mr Zimba was attending the burial of a deceased relative at Kawama cemetery when he decided to buy some water at a nearby shop.
Whilst at the shop, Mr Zimba met Chungu, who told him that he was going to teach him a lesson saying all bus drivers were stupid.
“He told the complainant that one of the bus drivers had offended his sister and he pounced on him and started beating him,” the facts read in part.
Mr Zimba sustained a cut on his left eye and he was only rescued by members of the public.
Chungu was apprehended and taken to Kawama Police Station, where Mr Zimba was issued with a medical report so that he could be attended to at the clinic.
During warn-and-caution, Chungu admitted the offence and was put in police cells awaiting court appearance.
In mitigation, Chungu pleaded with the court for leniency saying he was sorry for his action and that his wife was seven months pregnant and she needed his presence.
Passing the sentence, magistrate Chongo took the accused’s mitigation into consideration and the fact that he was a first offender who deserved some leniency.
She sentenced Chungu to one year suspended sentence and fined him K150 to be paid to the complainant or in default serve two months simple imprisonment.
“You have the right to appeal within 14 days if you are not happy with my sentence,” magistrate Chongo said.

Posted by Kunda on October 25, 2013. Filed under CRIME. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry