Unlicenced driver jailed after killing 2 teenagers

AN UNLICENCED driver who lost control of his BMW Sedan vehicle, veered off the road and killed two 19-year-olds in Dangamvura has been found guilty of culpable homicide by a Mutare court.

Innocent Tomu (35) of 5090 Area 3, Dangamvura was on Friday convicted of contravening Sections 6 (1)(a) as read with Section 6(5) of the Road and Traffic Act Chapter 13:11 also known as driving without a driver’s licence.

He was also convicted of culpa- ble homicide as defined in Section 49 of the Criminal law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23 by Magistrate Perseverance Makala.

Mr Brighton Shamuyarira prosecuted.

The court heard that Tomu was driving his BMW Sedan registration number ACR 1058 on August 26 at around 6pm in Dangamvura, Area 3.

Upon approaching a hump in the said area, he hit the hump and lost control of the vehicle.

The vehicle veered off the road to the right and went back to the left before hitting a telephone pole.

It then hit two teenage pedestrians Dumisani Sinayi and Joseph Masiya who died on the spot.

When the police arrived, Tomu failed to produce a driver’s licence and upon investigations, detectives found that there was no record of him being a holder of any class driver’s licence at the Central Vehicle Registration.

He was fined $100 for driving without a licence and sentenced to 10 months imprisonment for culpable homicide.

However, two months were suspended off his sentence for the next five years on condition of good behaviour.

Tomu will serve an effective eight months imprisonment.