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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Plumtree Correspondent
A PLUMTREE magistrate has dismissed a bid by an aggrieved father to claim $10,000 from a policeman who allegedly impregnated and then dumped his 19-year-old daughter.

Mr Joshua Nwisai told Plumtree magistrate, Mr Livard Philemon that Constable Allen Shayamuranda, who is in the Criminal Investigation Department impregnated his daughter Ms Tatenda Nwisai and went on to dump her.

‘’This man misled my daughter, impregnated her and dumped her. I’m demanding $10,000 for damages because he has inconvenienced my daughter as well as my family.

‘’I expect this specific amount because that’s the amount that has to be charged according to my culture,” said Mr Nwisai.

The woman told Plumtree magistrate, Livard Philemon that she only learnt that Cst Shayamuranda was married after falling pregnant.

She said the police officer tried to convince her to abort when she was four months pregnant, but a doctor refused.

“Shayamuranda didn’t tell me that he had a wife and he only told me when I was pregnant. He had promised to marry me and upon discovering that I was pregnant he said we had to go our separate ways as he had a wife.

“When I was four months pregnant he even took me to a private doctor to terminate the pregnancy but the doctor refused saying it was as good as murder,” said Ms Nwisai.

She said during the course of their love affair, Cst Shayamuranda rented her a room at a house in Plumtree and promised to move in with her.

She said he started neglecting her when she fell pregnant until she delivered prematurely and the baby later died.

“I was attending informal school at the time and I was writing exams but I failed to sit for some of the papers because I was constantly ill because of stress. I gave birth when I was seven months pregnant and the baby later died.

“Through all this Shayamuranda was nowhere to be seen and he had stopped paying rent at the house where I was staying. Whenever I tried to communicate with him he would tell me that I was a problem in his life and I was disturbing him and his family,” she said.

Ms Nwisai said she later returned to live with her parents.

Cst Shayamuranda refused to pay the money saying Ms Nwisai was an adult and she had voluntarily engaged in the relationship.

He told Mr Nwisai to stop interfering with his daughter’s matters and allow her to handle her own affairs.

Magistrate Philemon dismissed the case against Cst Shayamuranda and said the parties had to deal with the matter customarily.

“I can’t say that what the defendant did was good but on a point of law there is no need to proceed with this matter. I understand suffering of plaintiff but this isn’t the platform to handle a case of this nature.

“Mr Nwisai if in your custom you charge $10,000 for damages then you should deal with this customarily. But still it will require your daughter to be below 18 years. A father of a grown woman can’t make a claim for seduction on his daughter, you have no right to do that,” he said.