The mother of an eight-year-old boy who was killed by three dogs in Meanwood Ndeke area has narrated before the Lusaka High Court how her child was mauled as he was playing with his friends at the roadside, leaving him with an open skull.

In this matter, Womba Samakayi, 30, is charged with manslaughter.

It is alleged that Samakayi on July 14, 2019 in Lusaka, unlawfully caused the death of the eight-year-old boy.

Samakayi was charged after his three dogs allegedly bit the victim to death after they came out of the accused’s yard as he was trying to drive into the premises.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the offence before High Court Judge Mwape Bowa.

And when the matter came up for trial before Justice Bowa, Tuesday, the deceased’s mother, Agatha Phiri, told the Court that on the material day, she was washing clothes when her son’s friend, Gift, came and took him to go and play outside the yard, but the child never returned home.

She testified that later on, one of Gift’s friends returned home and informed her that her son had been attacked by dogs.

Phiri said she rushed to the scene where she found the dogs biting her son.

She said after the dogs were stoned, they let go of her son and ran back to the yard, but that his skin was already peeled off.

“When I arrived at the scene, my son had stopped struggling. One of the onlookers picked a stone and hit one of the dogs. After the dogs were stoned, they let go of my son and ran back to the yard. At this point, the dogs had bitten his neck and an eye was plucked out. The skin was peeled off and exposed the skull. I screamed and people came to my aid,” Phiri narrated.

She said that one of the neighbours offered a vehicle to help her report the matter to the police.

Phiri added that she then carried her son and went to the hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Meanwhile, Oti Soko, a 47-year-old shopkeeper, also of Meanwood Ndeke area, told the Court that on the material day in the afternoon, he was attending to customers when he saw the accused, Samakayi, drive past his shop and park his car at the gate to his house in order to open the gate so that he could drive in.

The witness said when Samakayi opened his gate, three dogs ran out towards some children who were playing along the road, adding that Samakayi called the dogs back but they did not return.

Soko said Samakayi left the vicious dogs and drove inside the yard before he later followed his animals.

He said he later saw Samakayi and his wife coming back to the yard, but Samakayi was holding his head with two hands facing down and gesturing shock.

Soko said after seeing Samakayi hold his head, he knew something had happened.

He said he later went to Kamwala to play music, but that while there, he received a phone call from a neighbour that one of the children had been bitten by Samakayi’s dogs.

Soko told the Court that the dogs belonged to Samakayi and that he would move with them in chains.

“He had two black and a brown dog. He would come with different dogs at the shop. Samakayi’s house is about 80 meters from the shop and I could see what was happening on the material day,” he said.

Soko said he noticed what had happened through the window used for serving customers, adding that it was the first time that the dogs bit someone.

Trial continues.