Teacher jailed two years for insulting Lungu

A FRUSTRATED teacher has been jailed two years with hard labour for insulting President Lungu on Facebook.

Lusaka Magistrate Sylvia Munyinya yesterday sent Enockson Banda to prison after he pleaded guilty to two counts of defamation of the President and one count of possessing obscene material tending to corrupt morals.

Banda, 27, had initially denied the charge but changed his plea last week and admitted the charge after some prosecution witnesses had testified.

In mitigation through his lawyer, Banda said he is of a youthful age with ample time to reform and rehabilitate.

He said he is a married man with a two-year-old child and that both his wife and the child depend on him for survival.

Banda added that he had been in custody since June 14, 2018 until he was granted bail last November.

He said he has used the time he was in custody and the one he has spent on attending court sittings to reflect on his actions and learnt valuable lessons.

The convict also said he has learnt that crime has a penalty and to show his contrition, he decided to plead guilty, thereby not wasting the court’s time and scarce State resources had full trial been conducted.

Banda added that he was a frustrated youth facing economic hardships after government’s failure to employ him despite his graduation in 2015 while his colleagues who completed in 2017 had been given government jobs.

He said his action had haunted him and that he had imprisoned himself; and promised the court to abide by the law in his bid to lead a crime-free life.

Banda pledged to be an ambassador that will respect everyone.

Passing sentence, Ms. Munyinya said she considered his mitigation and that he is a first offender who deserved the court’s lenience.

She then jailed him two years on each of the two counts and fined him K4, 500 for possessing pornography or four months sentence in default. The sentences will run concurrently from yesterday.