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Gun-totting prison escapee and robber gets 22-year jail term
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Luke Zinyengere, the inmate who recently stunned Zimbabwe by staging a daring escape at the Harare Magistrates' Court, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison after being convicted of escaping from lawful custody and armed robbery.
Harare magistrate Letwin Rwodzi delivered the heavy sentence on Friday, describing Zinyengere's crimes as "well-choreographed" and "executed in movie-style fashion," traumatising court officials, members of the public, and his robbery victim.
Zinyengere was slapped with 10 years for the escape and 12 years for the armed robbery he committed shortly afterward, when he pulled a gun on a motorist, Tinashe Chiyamuro, and sped off with his vehicle.
During the trial, Zinyengere pleaded guilty to escaping but claimed he had used a toy gun to steal the car. The court, however, found overwhelming evidence that he used a real firearm, which had reportedly been smuggled into his prison cell by relatives with help from a corrupt prison officer.
Magistrate Rwodzi said while Zinyengere's status as a first-time offender and a family man were considered, the serious nature of his offences left no room for leniency.
"You started at the deep end," she said. "The plan was executed in a movie-style and traumatised a lot of people including court officials, the general public, and the robbery victim. Escaping from lawful custody shows that you cannot be rehabilitated in the near future. Society must be protected."
The court heard that after escaping custody, Zinyengere drove at high speed towards Harare's Kopje area. He later abandoned the stolen vehicle along Kaguvi Street, narrowly missing crashing into a spare parts shop before fleeing on foot.
Police later lifted his fingerprints from the vehicle. Acting on a tip-off, officers tracked him down to George Bus stop in Ruwa where he was trying to hire a car after returning from Mutare.
In a wider crackdown, a prison officer who allegedly helped Zinyengere and another inmate, Tafadzwa Marondera, escape has been arrested and is awaiting trial. A prosecutor and two of Zinyengere's relatives were also taken into custody for allegedly aiding the daring breakout.
The case has sparked renewed calls for tighter security measures within Zimbabwe's prison system, with authorities vowing to root out corruption and prevent similar incidents in the future.
Harare magistrate Letwin Rwodzi delivered the heavy sentence on Friday, describing Zinyengere's crimes as "well-choreographed" and "executed in movie-style fashion," traumatising court officials, members of the public, and his robbery victim.
Zinyengere was slapped with 10 years for the escape and 12 years for the armed robbery he committed shortly afterward, when he pulled a gun on a motorist, Tinashe Chiyamuro, and sped off with his vehicle.
During the trial, Zinyengere pleaded guilty to escaping but claimed he had used a toy gun to steal the car. The court, however, found overwhelming evidence that he used a real firearm, which had reportedly been smuggled into his prison cell by relatives with help from a corrupt prison officer.
Magistrate Rwodzi said while Zinyengere's status as a first-time offender and a family man were considered, the serious nature of his offences left no room for leniency.
"You started at the deep end," she said. "The plan was executed in a movie-style and traumatised a lot of people including court officials, the general public, and the robbery victim. Escaping from lawful custody shows that you cannot be rehabilitated in the near future. Society must be protected."
The court heard that after escaping custody, Zinyengere drove at high speed towards Harare's Kopje area. He later abandoned the stolen vehicle along Kaguvi Street, narrowly missing crashing into a spare parts shop before fleeing on foot.
Police later lifted his fingerprints from the vehicle. Acting on a tip-off, officers tracked him down to George Bus stop in Ruwa where he was trying to hire a car after returning from Mutare.
In a wider crackdown, a prison officer who allegedly helped Zinyengere and another inmate, Tafadzwa Marondera, escape has been arrested and is awaiting trial. A prosecutor and two of Zinyengere's relatives were also taken into custody for allegedly aiding the daring breakout.
The case has sparked renewed calls for tighter security measures within Zimbabwe's prison system, with authorities vowing to root out corruption and prevent similar incidents in the future.
Source - zimlive
