A messenger of court who was on Thursday jailed for arresting and assaulting a villager whom he suspected of being a thief left the court in stitches when he pleaded to be spared jail because he had warrants to serve.
Mkhululi Hleza (44) pleaded guilty to assault charges and illegal arrest of Stanford Ncube when he appeared before Lupane magistrate Takudzwa Gwazemba.
The magistrate convicted him and sentenced him to 10 days in jail with an option of $20 fine.
On February 19 this year at around 8am, Hleza in the company of three other unnamed villagers handcuffed and assaulted Ncube accusing him of being the thief who had terrorised villagers in the area.
Hleza, a former neighbourhood watch committee member, still had handcuffs.
Ncube who was assaulted all over the body, reported to the police leading to the Hleza’s arrest.
In mitigation after his conviction, Hleza, apparently anticipating he would be jailed for a long time, said he had a number of warrants of execution against property which he was supposed to serve on several parties and asked for the court’s mercy in order not to disturb his duties.
In sentencing him, the magistrate said it was bad that Hleza had to take the law into his hands by going around assaulting innocent people and masquerading as a police officer.
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Tawanda Tsatsa prosecuted the case.
