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Brenda Zinyuke, Court Reporter

A MARRIED police officer from Bulawayo has been acquitted for allegedly assaulting another cop who accused him of having an extramarital affair with his wife.

Edson Utete (35), who resides at Ross Camp in Bulawayo, appeared in court facing allegations that he assaulted his colleague, Stephen Chada, who also lives at the same camp after the latter accused him of having an extra marital affair with his wife.

Utete pleaded not guilty to an assault charge before Bulawayo magistrate, Ms Ulukile Muleya.

 Ms Muleya ruled that Chada, the complainant in the matter, was the aggressor.

“Based on evidence presented before the court, the complainant in this matter was the aggressor. As such the accused person only acted in the manner in which he did because he was provoked. Therefore, the accused person is discharged and acquitted of assault charge,” she said.

Utete said Chada came to his house and accused him of having an extramarital affair with his wife.

“I did not assault the complainant. When he came to my house I was inside and he started talking to my wife. When I came out of the house he grabbed me by the neck. I only used minimum means to free myself from the complainant,” Utete said.

Prosecuting, Mr Nathan Marime said on May 18 in the evening, Chada went to Utete’s house and a misunderstanding arose when the complainant accused his fellow cop of having an extra marital affair with his wife.

“These allegations angered Utete who assaulted the complainant with fists all over his body, kicked the complainant on his stomach and hit his neck with an unknown object,” Mr Marime said.

The prosecutor said the complainant sustained some injuries.