Man beats 1-yr-old son to death for soiling himself

IN a heartrending incident that demonstrates cruelty, a one-year-old epileptic toddler who had a running stomach was beaten to death by his father with a whip for puffing, soiling himself and wetting the blankets, causing a disgusting smell that made his sleep impossible.

The incident occurred at the beginning of this month in Garakunzwana resettlement area in Chiredzi when Million Runhare (39) fatally flogged his one-year-old toddler Decide Runhare, who had a running stomach, for soiling himself and wetting the blankets.

He appeared at the Chiredzi Magistrates' Court before Ms Valerie Mutsvoto last Tuesday where he was charged with murder as defined in section 47 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23. He was remanded in custody to next month.

He was advised to apply to the High Court for bail.

The State case as presented by the prosecutor Mr Liberty Hove, was that at the beginning of this month the toddler, who had an epileptic condition that was known and was suffering from a running stomach, soiled himself and the blankets in the presence of his father Million Runhare.

It was the State case that this did not go down well with Runhare who despite knowing that the toddler had a running stomach, assaulted him all over the body with a whip first and later with an electric cord accusing the toddler of being dirty.

Mr Hove further told the court that Runhare accused the toddler of causing a horrible stench in the house that was making sleeping almost impossible. He accused the toddler of always wetting the blankets at night when he was supposed to awaken the mother so that she escorts him outside.

The court heard that the toddler's condition deteriorated as he started writhing in pain and died later the same day. The toddler's body was taken to Chiredzi district hospital where a postmortem was conducted that linked the assault to the death of the child leading to the arrest of Runhare.