News / National
Abusive grandmother escapes prison
02 Aug 2013 at 03:26hrs | Views
A 50-year-old Chitungwiza woman who subjected her three-year-old grandchild to physical abuse and assault on a daily basis has escaped a prison term.
Francisca Nyamahomba of Unit M took custody of the girl together with her eight-month-old sister after their mother dumped them as she went to South Africa. However, the minors' father decided to take them to their grandmother, Nyamahomba, who seemed not contented with the idea.
The court heard that she would lock the two in the house for some hours after assaulting the eldest on a daily basis. Prosecutor Mr Edmond Ndambakuwa proved that sometime in May this year, Nyamahomba informed her landlady that she was left with the two children by their father.
Since then, Nyamahomba would assault the eldest with an unknown object behind closed doors.
After the abuse, her landlady would hear and see the child crying and with bruises all over her body.
An attempt to stop her from abusing the two by her landlady proved fruitless.
This prompted her landlady to report the abuse leading to her arrest.
Chitungwiza magistrate Mr Kudakwashe Jarabini sentenced Nyamahomba to 12 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to contravening the Children's Protection and Adoption Act.
Mr Jarabini spared her a custodial sentence after suspending six months of her sentence for the next five years.
The remaining six months were set aside on condition that she performs 210 hours of the unpaid work at Seke South Clinic.
Francisca Nyamahomba of Unit M took custody of the girl together with her eight-month-old sister after their mother dumped them as she went to South Africa. However, the minors' father decided to take them to their grandmother, Nyamahomba, who seemed not contented with the idea.
The court heard that she would lock the two in the house for some hours after assaulting the eldest on a daily basis. Prosecutor Mr Edmond Ndambakuwa proved that sometime in May this year, Nyamahomba informed her landlady that she was left with the two children by their father.
Since then, Nyamahomba would assault the eldest with an unknown object behind closed doors.
After the abuse, her landlady would hear and see the child crying and with bruises all over her body.
An attempt to stop her from abusing the two by her landlady proved fruitless.
This prompted her landlady to report the abuse leading to her arrest.
Chitungwiza magistrate Mr Kudakwashe Jarabini sentenced Nyamahomba to 12 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to contravening the Children's Protection and Adoption Act.
Mr Jarabini spared her a custodial sentence after suspending six months of her sentence for the next five years.
The remaining six months were set aside on condition that she performs 210 hours of the unpaid work at Seke South Clinic.
Source - Herald
