By Staff Reporter

The Blantyre Central Senior Resident Magistrate’s court on October 12, 2022 convicted and sentenced driver Lester Makawa to pay a fine of K150,000.00 or in default serve 12 months imprisonment with hard labour for unlawfully wounding a traffic officer contrary to Section 241(a) of the Penal Code.

State prosecutor Assistant Superintendent Lyson Chavinda who is Ndirande Police Prosecution Officer told the court that the victim identified as Traffic Sub Inspector Stephano Muthama was unlawfully wounded by the driver on the night of October 10, 2022 at Machinjiri Turn Off along Magalasi road when traffic officers mounted an adhoc roadblock.

He said in course of their duties, they came across the driver Lester Makawa, who was driving a motor vehicle while drunk.

State prosecutor Assistant Superintendent Chavinda further told the court that the officers cautioned the driver and tried to reason with him but he was very violent and uncooperative.

They arrested Lester before taking him to Ndirande Police Station.

State prosecutor Chavinda went on to tell the presiding magistrate Euphrazia Moyo that, at the station the convict was still violet and he bit the right hand fore finger of Traffic Sub Inspector Stephano Muthama, as they were dragging him to a police cell.

Appearing before court, he pleaded guilty of unlawful wounding.

In mitigation, he asked the court for leniency, saying he is the first time offender and that he did it under the influence of alcohol and has family obligation.

He further apologized to the victimized officer.

In his submission, state prosecutor Assistant Superintendent Chavinda quashed the mitigation factors and prayed for stiffer deterrent sentence considering that he was very uncooperative and displayed uncalled for behavior as a qualified driver.

The Magistrate was satisfied with prosecutor’s submissions, hence ordering the driver Lester Makawa to pay a fine of K150,000.00 or in default serve 12 months imprisonment with hard labour to act as a lesson to other drivers.

The court ordered that K100,000.00 should go to the victim Traffic Sub Inspector Stephano Muthama as compensation.

The driver has since paid the fine.

The driver Lester Makawa is also answering a charge of resisting lawful arrest, contrary to Section 256 (b) of the Penal Code and is still remanded to Chichiri Prison following Assistant Superintendent Lyson Chavinda’s request to the court.