By Leonard Ncube
A 14 year old boy from Jambezi in Hwange district has been charged with five counts of attempted murder after he set on fire a hut where his two grandmothers and three siblings were sleeping as punishment for not leaving him supper.
The boy, who is in Form Three at a local school, committed the offence after he returned home at night and found that his grandmother had not left him food.
In a fit of anger, the court heard, the boy used a piece of wire to tie the door before setting on fire a bedroom hut where his 86-year-old great grandmother Mrs Grace Hadebe, grandmother Ms Judith Hadebe (60), and three minor siblings aged between six and nine were sleeping.
The juvenile pleaded guilty to five counts of attempted murder when he appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Chrispen Mberewere who presided over the case on behalf of resident regional magistrate Mr Collet Ncube who is on leave.
The boy was however, lucky to escape a custodial sentence after the court considered that he is a juvenile and is legally protected from jail life in line with the African Charter on children’s rights.
As such sentencing was postponed for five years as the court noted that a suspended sentence would be harsh on him. The juvenile boy will also be taken for counseling to reform him.
His lawyer Ms Joyline Change had pleaded for the court’s mercy saying the juvenile was doing well at school and any form of sentence would have transformed him into a criminal.
The lawyer said the boy grew up without a father as he was raised by his mother hence he acted out of emotion when he found that his grandmother had not left food for him. “He wasn’t thinking straight at that time and a suspended sentence will be harsh on him,” said Ms Change.
The boy concurred with his lawyer saying he acted out of anger. Prosecuting, Mrs Charline Murove-Gorerino said the juvenile committed a serious offence by attempting to kill his five relatives.
“On January 29 the boy left home at around 11AM going to Chikandakubi about 5km away to get school notes from his classmates. He returned at 9PM when everyone was asleep and found that there was no food left for him.
“The accused went to the bedroom hut where his great grandmother, grandmother and three siblings were sleeping and used a wire to fasten the door before setting the hut on fire,” said Mrs Murove-Gorerino.
She said the boy’s grandmother was awakened by the smell of smoke. The grandmother discovered that the hut was on fire and woke the others before breaking down the door. The Chronicle
