RAFFINGORA — A 32-year-old stepmother who accused her stepdaughter of having a boyfriend landed herself in trouble after she allegedly gave the teenager poison and dared her to commit suicide following a quarrel.
Own Correspondent
The girl, identified as Tariro Patricia Mudonhi, later committed suicide by drinking the poisonous substance.
This was heard on Thursday during the court appearance of Patuna Basket of 138 Kamwanza Township, Raffingora, Mashonaland West, who was convicted of abetting suicide when she appeared before magistrate Fanny Nyakudya who sentenced her to 24 months’ imprisonment.
Twelve months were suspended on condition she does not commit the same offence in the next five years. A further 12 months were set aside on condition Basket performs 420 hours of community service at Rimuka Police Station.
The court heard that on September 17 last year in Kamwanza suburb, accused (Basket) and the now-deceased Mudonhi had an argument after the former accused the girl of having an affair with one Blessing Mtawu. The girl denied the accusations and threatened to take her own life by drinking poison or hanging herself.
Accused then took a container with suspected Tamaron, a rodent killer, gave the now-deaceased and challenged her to drink the contents if she indeed wanted to end her life.
The court heard that an aunt, Pamela Mudonhi, intervened and stopped the argument before counselling the two. On September 20, the girl was summoned and quizzed by her father Jameson Daniel Mudonhi in connection with the alleged love affair, but she denied the allegations.
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The father assaulted her to induce a confession, but she bolted out of the house and drank the poison that the stepmother had earlier offered her. She was rushed to Raffingora Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
The container with traces of poison was recovered at the scene. ChipoHungwe prosecuted.
