BY PRIMROSE HAISA A MUTARE-BASED police officer, Jefinias Mazambani was yesterday convicted of assaulting a 15-year old boy and will spend the next six months in jail. Muzambani was convicted by Magistrate Tendai Mahwe after full trial. The minor, represented by Peggy Tavagadza of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, was brutally assaulted last year by the police officer when he was investigating a phone theft case in Mutare’s Sakubva suburb. The police detail was found guilty of the two counts of assault and sentenced to three months in prison for each count or to pay a fine of $2 000 for each count. The boy has also filed for delictual damages in the sum of $250 000 at Mutare Magistrate Court for the pain and trauma he suffered as a result of the assault by the police officer. Tavagadza said the boy was subjected to inhuman-treatment. The minor sustained injuries which include a perforated eardrum, facial swelling and swelling on his knees. “The plaintiff is a minor child of a relatively tender age. He is thus more sensitive to pain than the ordinary person,” Tavagadza submitted. “The 15-year-old boy was released from police custody without being charged. Despite being released from police custody without any charge, Tavagadza said Mazambani continued to make impromptu visits to the juvenile’s residence thereby subjecting the minor to torture.
