News / National
Couple locks son in room for 3 years, starving and abusing him
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A shocking case of child abuse has emerged from St Mary's suburb where Herbert Purumero (45) and his wife Memory Kamuchato (40) locked up their 16-year-old son, Tinotenda Purumero, in a room for three years, denying him food and basic care.
According to court documents, the boy was so starved that he resorted to feeding on anything available in the room, including his own human waste, resulting in severe malnutrition and numerous bruises indicating repeated assaults. The couple's cruelty took place at their home, house number 907 in St Mary's.
Herbert is Tinotenda's biological father while Memory is his stepmother. The boy's mother had separated from Herbert and remarried. Throughout the ordeal, Tinotenda was locked in a filthy room with no freedom of movement and was often left under the care of his 23-year-old sister, Paidamoyo Purumero, who is reported to be a slow learner.
Prosecutor Shamiso Charmaine Mwapangira told the court that despite noticing Tinotenda's deteriorating health, the couple denied him access to medical care. The abuse gravely affected the teenager's mental, moral, and physical well-being.
The couple appeared before Magistrate Dennis Mangosi, who sentenced them to 24 months in prison, with four months suspended on condition of good behaviour, effectively imposing a 20-month jail term each. Meanwhile, Tinotenda is currently admitted to a local hospital and is expected to be placed in a care home.
Neighbours expressed shock at the revelations, revealing that after Tinotenda was briefly released from hospital, he was found alone at home and had to be readmitted for care. They also lamented that efforts to find a Children's Care Home willing to take him in have so far been unsuccessful.
This disturbing case bears grim similarities to previous incidents in Chitungwiza. Three years ago, H-Metro reported that Gogo Plaxedes Mashasha had kept her son, Grant Mashasha, locked in their ceiling for 14 years. When freed, Grant exhibited signs of extreme neglect, including long nails, pale skin, and poor communication skills. That case came to light after authorities discovered that Mashasha had been living with her deceased husband's decomposing body for five days.
In another related case, a woman named Talent Gent was confined by her grandmother, Gogo Mushore, for three years, reportedly out of fear that a local man who had made unwanted advances might abduct her.
These tragic incidents highlight the urgent need for stronger child protection measures and community vigilance to safeguard vulnerable children from abuse and neglect.
According to court documents, the boy was so starved that he resorted to feeding on anything available in the room, including his own human waste, resulting in severe malnutrition and numerous bruises indicating repeated assaults. The couple's cruelty took place at their home, house number 907 in St Mary's.
Herbert is Tinotenda's biological father while Memory is his stepmother. The boy's mother had separated from Herbert and remarried. Throughout the ordeal, Tinotenda was locked in a filthy room with no freedom of movement and was often left under the care of his 23-year-old sister, Paidamoyo Purumero, who is reported to be a slow learner.
Prosecutor Shamiso Charmaine Mwapangira told the court that despite noticing Tinotenda's deteriorating health, the couple denied him access to medical care. The abuse gravely affected the teenager's mental, moral, and physical well-being.
Neighbours expressed shock at the revelations, revealing that after Tinotenda was briefly released from hospital, he was found alone at home and had to be readmitted for care. They also lamented that efforts to find a Children's Care Home willing to take him in have so far been unsuccessful.
This disturbing case bears grim similarities to previous incidents in Chitungwiza. Three years ago, H-Metro reported that Gogo Plaxedes Mashasha had kept her son, Grant Mashasha, locked in their ceiling for 14 years. When freed, Grant exhibited signs of extreme neglect, including long nails, pale skin, and poor communication skills. That case came to light after authorities discovered that Mashasha had been living with her deceased husband's decomposing body for five days.
In another related case, a woman named Talent Gent was confined by her grandmother, Gogo Mushore, for three years, reportedly out of fear that a local man who had made unwanted advances might abduct her.
These tragic incidents highlight the urgent need for stronger child protection measures and community vigilance to safeguard vulnerable children from abuse and neglect.
Source - H-Metro
