THE Kaputa Magistrate Court has sentenced a 19-year-old man of Posa village in Chief Kaputa’s Chiefdom to 12 months imprisonment with hard labour for assault.
The juvenile killed his father after an argument over nshima.
Before Magistrate Emmanuel Mukoma was Mwamba Lupiya who was facing one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm contrary to Section 248 of the Penal Code, Chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.
This is in a case that came up for plea in which Lupiya pleaded guilty to the charge of assault.
Facts of the matter are that on December 24, 2024, Lupiya assaulted his father, Bernard Kante after an argument had erupted over nshima.
It is alleged that Lupiya on the material day went to his parents’ house in Kapisha Village around 17 hours and demanded for Nshima from his mother.
His mother explained that the food was for him and his brother, but he insisted on eating the nshima alone.
When his father intervened to ask him to share the food with his brother, Lupiya hit his father on the mouth with a stick and ran away.
The court heard that his father who bled profusely later went to Kaputa Police Station for a medical report and proceeded to the hospital where he received medical attention.
Lupiya was later arrested and charged with the offense of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, a charge he admitted and pleaded guilty to.
In delivering his judgment, Kaputa Magistrate Emmanuel Mukoma explained the gravity of Lupiya’s action, in that he assaulted his own biological father, makes it possible for him to do the same to any other person.
He then handed Lupiya a 12-month sentence with hard labour, effective the date of his arrest.
And a related matter, a 19-year-old man has been sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment with hard labour for burglary and theft contrary to sections 301 A and 272 of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.
This is in a matter that came up for judgment in which Gift Kalumba was found guilty of breaking into Joyce Chansa’s house in Kapisha village and stealing a duvet, two Chitenge materials, a lady’s jacket, and an empty bucket for 1.5 kg of Boom washing powder.
In passing, Judgement Magistrate Mukoma explained as he read out the judgment that offenses of this kind are so common in Kaputa that offenders need to be punished to deter would-be offenders.
“Offenses of this nature are so common in this jurisdiction, hardly a day passes without a case like this being reported; people are crying day and night,” said Magistrate Mukoma.
