News / Regional
Man mistakes father for goblin and fatally strikes him with axe
11 May 2012 at 00:03hrs | Views
A MAN from the Silikwe area of Gwanda under Chief Masuku struck his father twice on the head with an axe believing that he was part of a group of goblins that wanted to attack him.
On 5 August last year, acting Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Meshack Cheda sitting with Messrs Elliot Nyoni and Phanuel Damba as assessors, heard that Godfrey Moyo started behaving strangely by shouting and walking restlessly.
He became violent until other family members fled the homestead and he remained behind with his father Samson (83).
The following day, at about 7am, Godfrey, a known psychiatric patient, armed himself with a small axe and struck his father twice on the head killing him instantly.
Two villagers, after being informed about Godfrey's behaviour, went to investigate and they found him naked holding the axe.
When he saw them coming he took to his heels and they gave chase until they caught up with, restrained and disarmed him. They tied his hands with a piece of wire.
He was handed over to members of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee who later handed him over to police in Gwanda.
Godfrey (41), pleaded not guilty to murder but through his lawyer, Miss Jacqueline Thandekile Misaba, of Lazarus and Sarif, tendered a limited plea of a special verdict.
Acting Justice Cheda found him not guilty of murder due to insanity and returned a special verdict.
The court ordered that he be taken back to prison for further transfer to a special institution for examination and treatment.
According to a post-mortem produced in court as an exhibit, the cause of death for Samson was severe brain damage as a result of multiple skull fractures caused by an assault.
According to an affidavit sworn to by a psychiatrist, Dr Elena Poskotchinova, Godfrey is a known psychiatric patient having been admitted to Ingutsheni Central Hospital five times from 1986.
She states that he believed that his father wanted to poison him and he defaulted treatment soon after discharge and used to smoke mbanje and drink alcohol.
She says when she examined him, he appeared to be psychotic mostly in the form of delusions of grandeur: "I am a prophet and have got extra power from ancestral spirits. I cannot remember what happened."
She says he believes that his father wanted to poison him and admitted killing him after taking 730ml of strong stuff and smoking two twists of mbanje.
He then started to see a strange vision and was seeing five goblins.
"I used an axe and struck one of them and it fell down and the others ran away."
Godfrey told her that the "police only wrote that I killed my father instead of a goblin".
On 5 August last year, acting Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Meshack Cheda sitting with Messrs Elliot Nyoni and Phanuel Damba as assessors, heard that Godfrey Moyo started behaving strangely by shouting and walking restlessly.
He became violent until other family members fled the homestead and he remained behind with his father Samson (83).
The following day, at about 7am, Godfrey, a known psychiatric patient, armed himself with a small axe and struck his father twice on the head killing him instantly.
Two villagers, after being informed about Godfrey's behaviour, went to investigate and they found him naked holding the axe.
When he saw them coming he took to his heels and they gave chase until they caught up with, restrained and disarmed him. They tied his hands with a piece of wire.
He was handed over to members of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee who later handed him over to police in Gwanda.
Godfrey (41), pleaded not guilty to murder but through his lawyer, Miss Jacqueline Thandekile Misaba, of Lazarus and Sarif, tendered a limited plea of a special verdict.
Acting Justice Cheda found him not guilty of murder due to insanity and returned a special verdict.
According to a post-mortem produced in court as an exhibit, the cause of death for Samson was severe brain damage as a result of multiple skull fractures caused by an assault.
According to an affidavit sworn to by a psychiatrist, Dr Elena Poskotchinova, Godfrey is a known psychiatric patient having been admitted to Ingutsheni Central Hospital five times from 1986.
She states that he believed that his father wanted to poison him and he defaulted treatment soon after discharge and used to smoke mbanje and drink alcohol.
She says when she examined him, he appeared to be psychotic mostly in the form of delusions of grandeur: "I am a prophet and have got extra power from ancestral spirits. I cannot remember what happened."
She says he believes that his father wanted to poison him and admitted killing him after taking 730ml of strong stuff and smoking two twists of mbanje.
He then started to see a strange vision and was seeing five goblins.
"I used an axe and struck one of them and it fell down and the others ran away."
Godfrey told her that the "police only wrote that I killed my father instead of a goblin".
Source - TC
