×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Four years for attempted murder

News
AN Epworth man, who locked his ex-wife, son and mother-in-law inside their bedroom and set it ablaze in a bid to kill them, was yesterday slapped with a four-year jail term for attempted murder and malicious damage to property.

AN Epworth man, who locked his ex-wife, son and mother-in-law inside their bedroom and set it ablaze in a bid to kill them, was yesterday slapped with a four-year jail term for attempted murder and malicious damage to property.

by PAIDAMOYO MUZULU

In his ruling, Harare magistrate Adonia Masawi said the State had proven beyond doubt that Tineyi Tsikirayi had committed all the three counts of attempted murder and one count of malicious injury to property levelled against him.

Harare Magistrates’ Court

It was the State case that on June 27 this year, Tsikirayi torched the bedroom where his ex-wife Nyarai Mwale, mother-in-law Judith Tasi and one child were sleeping in a bid to kill them.

Tsikirayi sustained some facial burns, while attempting to flee from the scene. The complainants’ neighbours effected a citizens’ arrest.

“You went to the house clearly with an evil and criminal intent and proceeded to set the house on fire. This shows an amazing degree of pre-planning in the case, but luck was not on your side when you were caught by neighbours,” Masawi said.

“For the attempted murder conviction, you have to be sent to prison otherwise if I give community sentence this would be a mockery to the justice system. You are, therefore, sentenced to six years in prison, two suspended for five years, leaving you with an effective four.”