News / National
Boy hospitalised for 7 months after being stoned by School mates
27 Jun 2014 at 09:15hrs | Views
A 15-YEAR-OLD Tsholotsho Secondary Schoolboy is battling for life at the United Bulawayo Hospitals with severe head injuries sustained after he was stoned by his mates during a row.
Doctors fear the pupil, who has been hospitalised for the past seven months, might continue bleeding from the brain and the injuries may prove fatal.
Three pupils, two aged 15 and one 16-year old from Mathula Secondary School, yesterday pleaded guilty to attempted murder charges through their lawyers before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mark Dzira.
Prosecuting, Tinashe Dzipe told how on November 5 last year at around 4.30PM, the boy who is now hospitalised approached one of his would-be attackers and quizzed him why he had assaulted his friend.
"A misunderstanding ensued between the two and the boy slapped the complainant several times on the face. The other two accused's friends joined in the altercation," said Dzire.
He said one of the boys picked a stone and struck the complainant once on the head while another picked a log and stuck him again on the head in an attack that is proving to be life threatening.
The prosecutor added: "The complainant fell down and sustained some injuries on the head. The trio escaped from the scene and left the complainant powerless".
A report was made at ZRP Tsholotsho and the boy was referred to Tsholotsho District Hospital for treatment. He was later transfered to the UBH as his condition was deemed critical.
A medical report produced in court indicated that the pupil sustained injuries resulting from a sharp object and that he might continue bleeding from the brain and his condition might deteriorate leading to death.
The report also indicates the victim might have an infarction (obstruction of the blood supply) and have part of his brain damaged.
The trio through their lawyer, Nonhanhla Moyo from S K M Sibanda and Company, pleaded guilty to the charges and said in mitigation, that they committed the offence out of immaturity and were all aged below 18.
"May the court consider that the accused are all juveniles and acted without thinking straight of the consequences of their act. They thought it was a childhood fight and may they be treated as first offenders," said Moyo in her submissions.
The magistrate requested the state to engage a neurologist to assess the victim's condition before judgment was handed down.
The outcome would be heard on July 15.
Doctors fear the pupil, who has been hospitalised for the past seven months, might continue bleeding from the brain and the injuries may prove fatal.
Three pupils, two aged 15 and one 16-year old from Mathula Secondary School, yesterday pleaded guilty to attempted murder charges through their lawyers before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mark Dzira.
Prosecuting, Tinashe Dzipe told how on November 5 last year at around 4.30PM, the boy who is now hospitalised approached one of his would-be attackers and quizzed him why he had assaulted his friend.
"A misunderstanding ensued between the two and the boy slapped the complainant several times on the face. The other two accused's friends joined in the altercation," said Dzire.
He said one of the boys picked a stone and struck the complainant once on the head while another picked a log and stuck him again on the head in an attack that is proving to be life threatening.
The prosecutor added: "The complainant fell down and sustained some injuries on the head. The trio escaped from the scene and left the complainant powerless".
A medical report produced in court indicated that the pupil sustained injuries resulting from a sharp object and that he might continue bleeding from the brain and his condition might deteriorate leading to death.
The report also indicates the victim might have an infarction (obstruction of the blood supply) and have part of his brain damaged.
The trio through their lawyer, Nonhanhla Moyo from S K M Sibanda and Company, pleaded guilty to the charges and said in mitigation, that they committed the offence out of immaturity and were all aged below 18.
"May the court consider that the accused are all juveniles and acted without thinking straight of the consequences of their act. They thought it was a childhood fight and may they be treated as first offenders," said Moyo in her submissions.
The magistrate requested the state to engage a neurologist to assess the victim's condition before judgment was handed down.
The outcome would be heard on July 15.
Source - Chronicle
