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Woman convicted of ill-treating minors

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A 33-YEAR-OLD Bindura woman was yesterday fined $200 for ill-treating her two step children.

A 33-YEAR-OLD Bindura woman was yesterday fined $200 for ill-treating her two step children.

BY SIMBARASHE SITHOLE

The woman did not plead guilty to the charges, but was convicted by provincial magistrate Tinashe Ndokera after full trial.

Prosecutor Vincent Marunya told the court that sometime in October this year, the convict forced a five-year-old boy to clean a toilet chamber with his bare hands after he had messed it, before assaulting him with a cooking stick.

It was also said that within that period, the woman burnt a three-year-old girl and assaulted her all over the body with a cooking stick.

The matter came to light when a Good Samaritan tipped the police.

The children were taken to the Department of Social Welfare, but their father took them before visiting a medical doctor, hence a medical affidavit could not be provided in court.

In mitigation, the court took into consideration that Chimota was pregnant and could have been driven by her condition to commmit the offence.

In another case, a 25-year-old Bindura man was fined $300 fine for trying to bribe police officers who had arrested his colleague over possession of dagga.

Knowledge Mutunhami pleaded guilty to the charge before magistrate Ethel Chichera.

Failure to pay the fine will earn Mutunhami three months behind bars. Prosecutor Tariro Janhi told the court that on December 7, the police arrested Tafadzwa Mupfunya, who was in possession of a sachet of mbanje.

The convict offered a $30 bribe so that they could release Mupfunya.

The police officers took the money and arrested Mutumhani.