News / National
Dog fatally mauls minor
14 Jun 2024 at 02:24hrs | Views
A Harare magistrate, Clever Tsikwa, acquitted Lloyd Sibanda (35) and Cuthbert Mpame (63) of a culpable homicide charge after their boerboel dog fatally mauled a seven-year-old child.
The magistrate ruled that the dog did not intentionally attack the child, who had entered the dog's territory.
There was no evidence showing the dog was wandering aimlessly, as it was on a leash, and the State failed to prove the dog was vicious.
The court heard that Sibanda, responsible for Mpame's dogs, was a neighbor to the deceased. On October 5, 2022, the child went to Mpame's property to fetch water but did not return.
His grandmother, Otilia Murwira, went looking for him and found a brown dog and a white puppy near the child's body. The child was discovered half-naked with his private parts bitten off.
Murwira identified the dogs as belonging to Mpame and chased them away. The police were informed, leading to the arrests of Sibanda and Mpame. However, the court found no culpability on their part due to the lack of evidence proving the dog's aggressive nature and the child's entry into the dog's territory.
The magistrate ruled that the dog did not intentionally attack the child, who had entered the dog's territory.
There was no evidence showing the dog was wandering aimlessly, as it was on a leash, and the State failed to prove the dog was vicious.
The court heard that Sibanda, responsible for Mpame's dogs, was a neighbor to the deceased. On October 5, 2022, the child went to Mpame's property to fetch water but did not return.
His grandmother, Otilia Murwira, went looking for him and found a brown dog and a white puppy near the child's body. The child was discovered half-naked with his private parts bitten off.
Murwira identified the dogs as belonging to Mpame and chased them away. The police were informed, leading to the arrests of Sibanda and Mpame. However, the court found no culpability on their part due to the lack of evidence proving the dog's aggressive nature and the child's entry into the dog's territory.
Source - newsday
