News / National
Man masquerades as Chihuri's envoy
04 Apr 2014 at 12:55hrs | Views
A 41-year-old real estate employee who attempted to outwit police officers at a roadblock along Gweru-Bulawayo highway by claiming that the Mercedes Benz he was driving belonged to police commissioner-general Augustine Chihuri has been brought before the courts.
Edward Baira of Mabelreign in Harare had presented a fake driver's licence to the officers and decided to avoid getting the vehicle impounded by claiming that it belonged to Chihuri.
Magistrate Takunda Witness Mtetwa sentenced Baira to three years in prison but conditionally suspended two years of the jail term.
Baira was given an option to pay a $400 fine.
The State had proved that on November 16, 2013 along Gweru-Bulawayo highway, the accused intentionally supplied false information to police officers who were manning a roadblock.
Police officers stopped Baira and asked for a driver's licence and he handed them a fake licence assuming that the officers would not notice that it not an original, valid licence.
When the officers noticed that Baira's licence was not genuine, they told him that they were escorting him to Mbembesi Police Station before he lied that his vehicle could not be impounded as it belonged to Chihuri.
The officers made inquiries over the vehicle and it turned out it did not belong to Chihuri but to Pure Gold Housing Trust Company, leading to his arrest.
Baira pleaded guilty to the offence and he told the court he would not repeat such an offence again.
When asked by the Magistrate why he had to misrepresent and take such a big risk, he failed to respond to the question.
Edward Baira of Mabelreign in Harare had presented a fake driver's licence to the officers and decided to avoid getting the vehicle impounded by claiming that it belonged to Chihuri.
Magistrate Takunda Witness Mtetwa sentenced Baira to three years in prison but conditionally suspended two years of the jail term.
Baira was given an option to pay a $400 fine.
The State had proved that on November 16, 2013 along Gweru-Bulawayo highway, the accused intentionally supplied false information to police officers who were manning a roadblock.
When the officers noticed that Baira's licence was not genuine, they told him that they were escorting him to Mbembesi Police Station before he lied that his vehicle could not be impounded as it belonged to Chihuri.
The officers made inquiries over the vehicle and it turned out it did not belong to Chihuri but to Pure Gold Housing Trust Company, leading to his arrest.
Baira pleaded guilty to the offence and he told the court he would not repeat such an offence again.
When asked by the Magistrate why he had to misrepresent and take such a big risk, he failed to respond to the question.
Source - dailynews
