The suspect who was helped by a prison officer to escape from Bulawayo Magistrates’ Courts as payback for a $120 debt which the guard owed him was yesterday convicted of escaping from custody.
Tauya Shepherd Maguwu was convicted by Bulawayo provincial magistrate Rose Dube after pleading guilty to escaping from custody. He was remanded in custody to November 3 for sentence.
The prison officer, who allegedly aided him to escape, Thulani Mhlanga, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Tawanda Muchemwa on Wednesday facing charges of assisting a prisoner to escape, in contravention of section 185 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act. Mhlanga was remanded out of custody to November 9 on $20 bail.
Prosecutor Malvern Nzombe told the court that on October 20, Mhlanga was at Bulawayo Magistrates’ Courts where he was guarding prisoners who had come for their cases to be heard.
Among the suspects was the remand prisoner Maguwu, who was facing charges of unlawful entry.
Maguwu was also allegedly owed $120 by the prison officer, Mhlanga.
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However, at 1pm the court adjourned for lunch and Mhlanga allegedly did not lock up Maguwu in the holding cells since he had been remanded in custody to November 3.
He allegedly gave the suspect a T-shirt and trousers which Mhlanga had allegedly stuffed in his uniform.
Maguwu removed his prison garb and put on the clothes allegedly supplied by Mhlanga before escaping through the dock in one of the courts.
The offence was later discovered and a manhunt was launched for Maguwu leading to his re-arrest. He then implicated.
Mhlanga is represented by Simbarashe Chivaura.