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Lisa Mangena, Court Reporter

A POLICE officer from Bulawayo who allegedly kidnapped and brutally assaulted a 16-year-old boy who was suspected to have stolen a mobile cellphone at his uncle’s car wash has been acquitted.

Constable Munashe Shumba (30) allegedly went to the minor’s home with two of his co-accused persons, a Bulawayo City Council security guard Millister Shumba (43) and the owner of the phone Manfred Nhemachena (43).

The trio appeared before Western Commonage magistrate, Ms Tancy Dube, facing a charge of assault and they all pleaded not guilty.

They were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

Ms Dube said: “The complainant has failed to prove his matter and therefore there is no evidence that the accused persons did kidnap and attack the minor. Due to this the matter has been discharged”.

Constable Shumba told the court that the three did not mug the boy, instead they went to his home to take him to the police station for questioning and he tried to escape. 

“He got out of the house and after telling him that we were taking him to the police station, he tried to escape and I ran after him while Shumba and Nhemachena followed us in a car.

“I finally caught him after he fell in an awkward way and then l discovered he had badly injured himself,” he said.

The prosecutor, Mr Tapiwa Solani, said on April 24 at around midnight, the trio went to the minor’s home intending to take him to Western Commonage Police Station.

“Instead they drove the minor to a bushy area. Constable Shumba, who was driving, stopped the car and got out. The trio dragged the minor out of the car and forced him to take off his pants.

“They questioned the minor on the whereabouts of the phone but he told them he knew nothing. After a few questions, they assaulted the minor forcing him to admit that he had stolen the phone,” he said.

The court heard that the minor finally admitted that he had stolen the phone and gave it to his uncle to sell it. While driving to the minor’s uncle, the trio was told that there was no phone and they assaulted the minor again.

After brutally assaulting the minor, they took him back to his home at around 1:30AM.

During testimony, the minor told the court that the trio took him to a bushy area and assaulted him, forcing him to admit that he had stolen Nhemachena’s phone and gave it to his uncle.

“They assaulted me again and later threatened that if l ever told anyone about the matter they would deal with me. We later agreed that l would gather information on the whereabouts of the phone then give them the information after three days,” he said.

The minor was dumped at his home’s gate.

He was taken to hospital and a medical report showed that he had sustained injuries on the left leg, ribs and swollen testicles. — @LissahMangena