Headman charged K24, 000 for assault

A VILLAGE headman convicted for beating up a woman he suspected to have poisoned his cow because of its inflated stomach has met reconciliation demands of K24, 000.

Wellington Habeenzu, a headman of Hamaundu village, assaulted the woman after the accusations only to discover later that the animal was actually pregnant.

In this case Habeenzu, 43, is charged with one count of Assault Occasioning Bodily Harm on Lucia Mweenga, 57, of neighbouring Mulela village. Habeenzu pleaded guilty to the offence.

When the matter came up for reconciliation status, victim, Ms Mweenga told the court that Habeenzu paid K24, 000 in full and promised to live in peace.

Facts read in court were that on July 1, 2018, Mweenga was seated at her house when she saw Habeenzu in the company of others coming towards her.

Habeenzu asked her why she poisoned his cow and when she argued, he started dragging and beating her with a stick.

Mweenga told journalists outside court that, on the material day, she was dragged to the scene where the dead cow was while being beaten with a stick because the headman suspected that the swollen stomach was as a result of poisoning.

However, when he later ripped open the animal’s stomach, he discovered that the cow was pregnant.

The matter was reported to police and when an officer interviewed Habeenzu, he decided to charge and arrest him for the subject offence after he failed to give a satisfactory answer.