Obert Mpofu's guard jailed 8 years

A POLICE Protection Unit (PPU) officer, who shot a colleague in a bid to gain entry at Economic Planning minister Obert Mpofu's home to see his girlfriend, was yesterday slapped with an eight-and-a-half-year jail term after he was convicted of attempted murder by regional magistrate Fadzai Mtombeni.

Lloyd Salobe will, however, spend six years in prison after 2 years were suspended for 5 years on condition of good behaviour.

In passing judgment, Mtombeni lamented Salobe's behaviour saying if police officers guarding VIPs behaved in the manner he did, then "who will in turn guard them".

"You set a bad precedence at others, who are guarding VIPs," the magistrate said.

Salobe (29) stormed into the guardroom at Mpofu's house on October 30 last year, where Hazel Mutasa was stationed.

At the material time he (Salobe) was wearing a face mask and armed with an AK47 rifle. The court heard he ordered Mutasa to surrender, but when she refused, a scuffle ensued leading to Salobe firing shots, hitting Mutasa in the abdomen.