THE Lusaka Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a 23-year-old mechanic to five years imprisonment with hard labour for beating up a man who stopped a fight between two women at a bar.
The 23-year-old wanted the two women to continue fighting.

This is a matter in which Zaza Chakwilo of Lusaka’s Westwood area was charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

It was alleged in count one that on January 27, 2020 in Lusaka, Chakwilo assaulted Mathews Kalumanya and Mary Shimpande and occasioned them actual bodily harm.

And in count two, it was alleged that on February 2, 2020 in Lusaka, Chakwilo assaulted Mathews Kalumanya and Mary Shimpande and occasioned them actual bodily harm.

Chakwilo admitted the charges.

The matter came up on Tuesday for sentencing before chief resident magistrate Lameck Mwale.

Facts before court were that on January 27, this year, Kalumanya who is one of the complainants, was drinking at a bar in Wasala area in Westwood when he saw two women fighting.

He decided to separate them but immediately, Chakwilo appeared and demanded that he should not stop the fight as he wanted the two women to continue fighting.

Kalumanya managed to separate the women and sat one on the ground.

Suddenly, Chakwilo appeared with a wooden stick and a knife and struck Kalumanya on the left forearm, the court heard.

He again punched Kalumanya, making him fall down and faint.

Kalumanya was later picked by some members of the public and taken to Villa Lucia Police where he was issued with a medical report.

In count two, facts before court were that on February 2, this year, the other complainant, Mary Shimpande, went to the same bar (Wasala).

She was talking to her boyfriend who got her phone and an argument ensued in the process.

Immediately, Chakwilo appeared and hit her with a header on her nose and the eye and she started bleeding from her nose.

Shimpande went and reported the matter at villa Lucia police post where she was issued with a medical report form.

Chakwilo was apprehended the following day, on February 3, 2020.

He gave a free and voluntary reply admitting the charges.

During his mitigation, the court heard that Chakwilo was a second offender who was convicted of the same offence and served a three months with hard labour.

Chakwilo apologized to the court and the complainants for what he did.

He further asked the court to consider that he had children and a wife.

But passing sentence, magistrate Mwale noted that it was clear Chakwilo did not learn a lesson from his previous conviction, adding that the convict was not remorseful of his actions especially that the offence in count two bordered on gender based violence.

Magistrate Mwale noted that it was clear that Chakwilo was more worried about his family but was not remorseful for his actions.

Magistrate Mwale then sentenced Chakwilo to 24 months imprisonment with hard labour in count one and 36 months in count two, which sentences would run consecutively, meaning he will serve five years.