Cop fine $100 for bashing wife

A Victoria Falls-based police officer assaulted his wife of five months after she refused to be awakened around 11pm to watch her "team" play on a computer game he was playing.

Appearing before Victoria Falls resident magistrate Sharon Rosemani where he was fined $100 or two months in prison after being convicted of contravening a Section of the Domestic Violence Act, Chapter 15, was Constable Itai Sibanda, 20, of ZRP Victoria Falls.

A further two months of his sentence were suspended for four years on condition of good behavior.

Sibanda's wife, Fortunate Marumisa, 18, told the court that on 8 January this year and at around 11pm, her husband, who was supposed to have been on duty and on patrol around Mkhosana Township area, arrived home and started playing soccer on a computer game. "He woke me up and told me that my team was playing and winning but I told him that I wanted to sleep," she said.

Asked by Rosemani which teams were playing, Marumisa had the court in stitches when she said: "They were teams on the computer game, he was playing a computer game."

Marumisa said when "her team" had scored, Sibanda again woke her up and she clapped him on the cheek once.
"After I clapped him, he retaliated and assaulted me. I then went and made a report to the police because I was angry," she said.

Rosemani said as a law officer, Sibanda wasn't supposed to assault his wife.

Takunda Ndovorwi prosecuted.