CONVICTED South African-based businessman Fredrick Wilhelm August Lutzkie, who was slapped with an effective three-and-a-half-year jail term for violating the country’s airspace and tampering with the country’s security systems, has filed an appeal against his sentence at the High Court.
CHARLES LAITON SENIOR COURT REPORTER
Yesterday, Lutzkie’s matter appeared before judges of appeal Justices Francis Bere and Charles Hungwe, but the appeal could not be entertained after National Prosecution Authority (NPA) representative Fortunate Kachidza told the court that her office needed time to sort out Lutzkie’s court papers.
Kachidza also said the prosecutor who was handling the matter, Sharon Fero, was not available to file her heads of argument and as such, she had agreed with defence lawyer Advocate Thabani Mpofu to have the matter postponed indefinitely.
Early this year, Lutzkie was sentenced to seven years by Harare provincial magistrate Vakayi Douglas Chikwekwe, who suspended part of the sentence on condition of good behaviour.
Chikwekwe, described Lutzkie as a danger to Zimbabwe’s national security.
Lutzkie pleaded guilty to 14 counts of contravening sections of the Civil Aviation Act and the Immigration Act following his arrest after his helicopter crashed in Gwanda.
The State presented that the offence was committed between February 1 and 28 this year, when Lutzkie flew his helicopter from South Africa and landed at Doddiebun Range in Gwanda where he runs a game farm.
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According to State papers, during the said period, Lutzkie was flying in the country without permission from the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe.
Lutzkie, who is an engineer by profession, told the court that on the fateful day, the helicopter developed a mechanical fault and crash-landed, prompting him to dig a trench and bury it for fear of an explosion.
He said the strategy was to cut oxygen supply to the plane since it had more than 500 litres of Jet A1 fuel, adding that he had previously flown into the country undetected on two occasions.
