High Court delivers judgement for murder of police officer who died 5yrs ago

THE High Court today will hand down judgment for seven out of 29 Glenview residents who were arrested five years ago and charged with murder following the death of Zimbabwe Republic Police Inspector Petros Mutedzi on 29 May 2011.

Zimbabwe Human Rights Lawyers said the judgment, was initially set to be delivered on Thursday 1 September 2016.

"The seven Glenview residents, who include Glenview Ward 32 Councillor Tungamirai Madzokere and who are represented by ZLHR lawyers led by board chairperson Beatrice Mtetwa, were arrested in 2011 and charged with contravening Section 47 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23," said ZLHR.

"They are also being charged with committing public violence in contravention of Section 36 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23."

The State claims that on 29 May 2011, the Glenview residents chanted MDC-T party slogans denouncing police officers while throwing stones and empty beer bottles at them and that their actions resulted in the death of Inspector Mutedza.

ZLHR said during the last hearing in 2014, the Glenview residents' lawyers led by Mtetwa presented the court with video evidence which showed that one of the accused persons Last Maengahama was among congregants at Untied Family International Church on the day the crime was committed but the State insisted that he was present at the scene of the crime.

The other 22 residents were acquitted at the close of the State case in 2013, while one of the MDC-T activist Rebecca Mafikeni passed away after she fell ill while detained at Chikurubi Prison in Harare.