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Abusive Auntie Jailed 5 years for Assault
By CHAMBO NG’UNI
A 44-YEAR-OLD housewife of Serenje who used to chain her 12-year-old niece to a bed and locking her up in the bedroom has been sentenced to five years imprisonment with hard labour for child assault.
Serenje resident magistrate Fidelis Ngosa last Wednesday sentenced Grace Machango to five years imprisonment with hard labour.
“The evidence is properly coordinated, the accused had no authority to do what she did on a child who is only 12-years-old. Mr Ngosa said.
Machango was arrested in March this year after concerned Serenje residents reported her to police that she used to chain Esther Chishala Machango to a bed.
Machango on March 5 this year in Serenje, assaulted Esther and occasioned her actual bodily harm.
Machango pleaded not guilty.
But in her defence, Machango admitted chaining Esther to a bed with two locks to keep her in the house.
Machango told the court that she did not intend to harm Esther but she merely wanted to prevent her from wandering.
In mitigation, Machango said she got Esther from Mufulira to live with her in Serenje because her father was unwell.
Machango said she wanted Esther to be educated and this is why she wanted her to be well-mannered.
“I am human and I did what I did ignorantly. I am not perfect. I am a mother of four children and I am a married woman and I am asking for leniency,” Machango said
In his judgment, Mr Ngosa said Machango and Esther are related and the girl started staying with her in 2010.
Mr Ngosa, however, said it was inhuman for Machango to resort to chaining Esther to a bed and locking her in the bedroom.
Mr Ngosa said he could not accept Machango’s defence that she was merely preventing Esther from running away from home.
He said Esther’s testimony corroborated with that of the police, Machango’s and her husband‘s Mongo Mushalika.
He also said the medical report revealed that Esther sustained injuries on the legs and hands as a result of being chained to the bed and she had bruises on her back.
Mr Ngosa said Machango gave a free and voluntary statement to the police admitting the charge when she was arrested for child assault.
He also said the prosecution had proved the case against Machango beyond reasonable doubt.
Mr Ngosa observed that Machango is a mother and what she did to her niece was a crime.
“The court notes that you are the first offender and you are entitled to leniency but iyour action exhibited a lot cruelty. You are a woman who is supposed to be a mother but you behaved in a heartless manner,” Mr Ngosa said.
Posted by
Pastor chali
August 19, 2014 at 8:09 am
some aunty’s…instead of bringing her to me for miracles
Jony Tony
August 19, 2014 at 8:13 am
It’s good she is in for a lesson. She should have taken the niece back to her sick parents if she thought that the niece was finishing her food.
Very cruel woman!!!!
MK the ORIGINAL
August 19, 2014 at 8:22 am
The world we live in. How can a human being be subjected to be chained like an animal. Worse still a toddler who needs proper guidance could have not been subjected to such cruel suffering. By the way, where was the woman’s husband when all this was happening and whose side was this poor girl belonged to? Pleas give us more information before we make a lot of mistakes in our comments.
memory
August 19, 2014 at 8:35 am
Thats like a stepmother,an aunty should be more caring.Evil woman,where is this World really going too and i think that punishment is too light!
maria
August 19, 2014 at 8:38 am
You deserve a much stiffer punishment than that because you have destroyed that child for life,her self esteem,self worth,confidence ,etc unless she gets proper counselling,ine ifibantu fimo!
Fr. William Mulenga
August 19, 2014 at 10:46 am
Its unfortunate that the judgement has been passed already. This woman was to be warned and educated by the police on child abuse related issues. If this habit persists then this judgement can be passed. Some judgements are doubt effects. In an effort to punish the cruel mother, we end up leading the whole family into catastrophe. We do not know how the four children together with Esther will survive this five years especially if she was a bread winner.
Katanino
August 19, 2014 at 12:08 pm
MULENGA is a commonly used name in the Bemba language of Zambia to mean: the creator.
So nomba iwe mune waálwike lísá intwenokane?
IF NOT
August 19, 2014 at 12:38 pm
This cruel aunt shouldn’t have gotten the girl in the first place from her parents. Honestly, is that the right way to discipline a child by chaining? Would she do such a terrible thing to her own children? shame upon this aunt. Indeed let her go in for 5 yrs and learn a lesson. If Esther proved to be stubborn she could have just sent her back to her parents and remain with her children if she feels them are angels. By the time she is out of prison the husband will have married another woman.
ONETIME RELOADED
August 19, 2014 at 1:07 pm
bamu chenjesha chinyo chakwe..bakumana na fate..stanina
Ichipampa
August 19, 2014 at 1:39 pm
Poor woman she thought the girl had become a griture to chain. I know of a grandmother to talks too much about her granddaughter’s movement and made her suffer from stroke. sad indeed.
Cecilia
August 19, 2014 at 2:42 pm
Shes a fool…. Parents nowadays… Bwafya
Cecilia
August 19, 2014 at 2:42 pm
Big fool
Maura
August 19, 2014 at 3:31 pm
Bana mayo tulepepa lesa mucine bane. many times you will find that those who do such are mainly abailanga ukupepa sana muma church. umwana ulesunga ngakupesha pliz take her back nangu pelako bambi abalupwa besheko ukumusunga lather than iyo treatment. may God help us women.
Kape
August 19, 2014 at 3:45 pm
THE WOMAN SHE IS HEARTLESS AND I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS BCOZ SHE IS THE ONE WHO TOOK THE GIRL FROM HER PARENTS WHO ARE UNWELL AND THIS GIRL STARTED SUFFERING EVEN BEFORE THE PARENTS ARE NOT YET DIED. PLEASE LET US BEHAVE LIKE HUMAN BEING AND KEEP OTHER CHILDREN LIKE OUR OWN CHILDREN. THERE IS ONE WOMAN IN CHIMWEMWE. KITWE WHO USED TO MOCK THE GIRL SHE WAS KEEPING AND THE PEOPLE FROM THE NEBOUHR HOOD REPORTED THE MATTER TO THE POLICE AND HIDE THE GIRL, THATS WHAT SHE SURVIVED OTHERWISE SHE COULD HAVE BEEN IN KANFISA BY NOW. LET US BE LIKE WHAT WE CLAIM AS CHRISTIANS MORE OVER BA PRAISE ABA KAMAMONA NA MENSHI BUT BUNCHITA TUBI NIPA MUSHI TWAPAPATA NGATAMWAKWATA ICIKUKU MULEKE UKUSENDA ABANA BABENE PANTU BAWISHI NABA NYINA TABAMUFILILWE UKUMUSUNGA