28-year-old Chadiza man goes to jail for 16 months for malicious damage

The Chadiza Magistrate Court has sentenced a 28-year-old man to 16 months imprisonment with hard labour for causing malicious damage to property.

Magistrate Fred Musaka found Charles Zulu guilty of the charge of causing malicious damage to property contrary to section 335 (1) of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

Delivering judgment today, Magistrate Musaka said Zulu needed to serve the jail term slapped on him to allow him to reform because he was a danger to society.

He said despite all the evidence adduced before the court which proved beyond any reasonable doubt that he committed the offense he continued denying the charge.

Magistrate Musaka said he found Zulu’s personality as one who cannot take responsibility for his actions hence the need for him to go to prison so that he can be given time to reflect and repent from his malicious behavior .

He noted that Zulu’s incessant aggressive behaviour was due to alcohol intake which makes him lose his mind.

He said he was slapping him with 16 months imprisonment with hard labour so that he could learn to stop being one of the “pretender drunkards” who commit offences under the guise of being drunk.

Last week, Zulu told the court in his defence that her aunt [complainant] lied against him because she feared that he would chase her from his late father’s farm where she was currently staying.

“My auntie lied against me because she thinks I will tell her to vacate my late father’s farm”, he said.

Details of the offense are that on November 30, 2023, Charles Zulu, of Kasiya village in Mlolo Chiefdom did destroy property worth K4, 065 belonging to his 65-yearold aunt Tidane Miti.

This was after he came back from a drinking spree.

Zulu’s action led his auntie to run for her life.

But she later informed her brother who later helped in apprehending Zulu and handing him over to the Police in Chadiza.

Among the property that were destroyed included 4 roofing sheets, a bicycle, a door flame, tomatoes and mealie meal.