A 23-YEAR-OLD Ndola woman has been sentenced to five years imprisonment for beating her step son on his private parts.

In this matter, Florence Lumunga, 23, of Mushili Township was charged with one count of assault on a child.

It was alleged that on August 27, 2021 around 17:00 hours, Lumunga assaulted the juvenile on his private parts and on his buttocks using a needle stick.

Ndola Magistrate Bryan Simachela found Lumunga guilty and convicted her accordingly.

Magistrate Simachela said some evidence adduced to the court indicated that on the material day, Lumunga became annoyed at the boy and beat him on the private parts and buttocks which made the boy to sustain cuts and injuries on his private part.

According to the prosecution’s evidence, the juvenile told court that on the material day, he came back early from school and for that reason, Lumunga assaulted him using a needle stick and that she also scratched his scrotum.

Gift Kasongo, the juvenile’s mother, in her evidence told court that she received a call from the juvenile’s teacher that the juvenile was not reporting at school for some days.

“Kasongo said that when she inquired why the child was not reporting at school for some days, she discovered that he had cuts and bruises on the private part as well as his buttocks,” the magistrate recalled.

In her defense, Lumunga accepted to have bathed the boy on the material day but that she did not know what happened to cause the cuts and bruises which were found on the juvenile’s private part.

Lumunga claimed that the boy instead injured himself.

In mitigation, Lumunga said she had a child and was also pregnant.

However, Magistrate Simachela said the offence which Lumunga committed was a serious one and warned step mothers to be respecting their husband’s children.

He said there was need to sentence the accused person to deter would be offenders.

“I have exercised my maximum leniency by sentencing you to five years simple imprisonment from the date of arrest. You have the right to appeal to the High Court within 14 days if you are not happy with the decision,” said Magistrate Simachela.

“This action was actually inhuman, barbaric, satanic and at last heartless.”