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Rutendo Ngara, Court Reporter

A 29-YEAR-OLD Bulawayo man has been sentenced to five years in prison for kidnapping a 35-year-old man at knife point after breaking into his room.

Nqobizitha Moyo of Douglasdale suburb kidnapped Mr Rangarirai Nyoni from the same suburb and held him for three hours while assaulting him with a baton.

The court heard that Moyo went to Mr Nyoni’s house looking for Mr Nyoni’s younger brother, Mr Innocent Mapuranga, whose age was not given in court.

He went with the intent to assault Mr Mapuranga over a dispute that was not revealed in court.

Upon arrival at Mr Nyoni’s residence, he did not find Mr Mapuranga and proceeded to threaten Mr Nyoni to vacate his room at knife point and forced him to escort him to his house.

Moyo pleaded guilty to kidnapping under aggravating circumstances when he appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Mafios Moyo.

He was sentenced to five years in prison but will however serve an effective three years after two years of the sentence were suspended on condition he is not within the next five years convicted of a similar offence.

“The complainant was peacefully asleep at his house and he had no issues with you. When you fought with his younger brother, he was not there so why were you torturing him like that?” asked Mr Moyo.

He said kidnapping was a serious offence which warrants a long prison term.

Prosecuting, Mr Simbarashe Manyiwa said on September 10 last year at around 12AM, Moyo went to Mr Nyoni’s home armed with a knife and forced him to leave his room.

“The accused person forced the complainant to escort him to his place of residence which is about three kilometres away,” said Mr Manyiwa.

Moyo assaulted Mr Nyoni all over his body with a baton.

 Mr Manyiwa said after assaulting Mr Nyoni, Moyo ordered him to sleep in his room.

“The complainant promised to pay the accused some money on the following day if he released him and that is how he secured his freedom,” said Mr Manyiwa.

 The matter was reported to the police, leading to Moyo’s arrest and Mr Nyoni was referred to hospital for treatment.- @missngara