Senior cop acquitted of assault charges

A senior Zimbabwe Republic Police officer based in Gweru has been acquitted of assault charges after a magistrate ruled that the complainant had fabricated the allegations in an apparent bid to seek revenge after he refused to marry her.

Arnoby Mapera (44), stationed at ZRP Mkoba Police Camp, appeared before Gweru magistrate Blessing Makaripe facing charges of assault. In his ruling, Magistrate Makaripe said the State had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

According to court proceedings, the complainant, Benhilda Furusa, allegedly became angry after Mapera ended their relationship and began seeing another woman.

Testifying in his defence through his lawyer, Esau Mandipa of Mandipa, Makwara and Chikukwa Legal Practice, Mapera told the court that Furusa had visited his house for a sleepover sometime last year but later refused to leave, insisting that she was now his wife.

Mapera said he chose to move out of the house, leaving Furusa behind. He further testified that she would subsequently visit him uninvited at his workplace, Gweru Central Police Station, where she allegedly embarrassed him in front of colleagues while demanding marriage.

The court heard that Furusa later travelled from Gweru to Mapera's rural home at Lowlands Farm, Plot 21, Marondera, where she reportedly introduced herself to his relatives as his wife.

"She was not accepted by my relatives and, due to frustration over the failed marriage demands, she began threatening me, boasting that she would ensure I was discharged from the Zimbabwe Republic Police," Mapera told the court.

Mapera further alleged that after he entered into a new relationship, Furusa harassed his new girlfriend while continuing to pressure him to marry her. He said he eventually applied for a peace order against Furusa, which was granted.

"It was after this that she decided to fabricate the assault allegations," Mapera said, adding that Furusa had initially reported a case of intimidation before later changing it to assault.

Prosecutor Melodious Kavenga told the court that the alleged assault occurred in October last year after Mapera and Furusa disembarked from a commuter omnibus at the ZRP Mkoba Police Camp gate while travelling from the Gweru central business district.

"A misunderstanding arose after the complainant suspected the accused of having an extramarital affair," Kavenga said.

The State alleged that Mapera slapped Furusa once on the face before a passer-by intervened, and that he later continued to assault her at home using open hands. However, the court heard that Furusa sustained no visible injuries, although she was medically examined.

In acquitting Mapera, Magistrate Makaripe ruled that the State's case was riddled with inconsistencies and lacked credible evidence to support the assault allegations.