18 months for stabbing stepmom

An 18-year-old Harare man will serve 18 months in jail for stabbing his stepmother eight times with a kitchen knife in a dispute over dish washing.

Harare provincial magistrate Mrs Lucy Mungwari initially sentenced Takudzwa Chinembiri to 36 months in jail before suspending 18 months on condition of good behaviour.

In sentencing Chinembiri, Mrs Mungwari said the State had proved its case against the accused.

She said Chinembiri was in the habit of abusing drugs and on the day he committed the offence, he was high on marijuana.

“The State managed to prove a case of attempted murder against the accused person and, therefore, the court has found the accused person guilty of the offence,” she said.

In aggravation, prosecutor Mr Ephraim Zinyandu told the court that Chinembiri needed to be removed from society so that he will not have access to drugs. Mr Zinyandu further stated that if given community service, Chinembiri would still have access to those drugs and continue to commit criminal activities.

The court heard that on November 5, 2018, Chinembiri and Joyce had a misunderstanding over dish washing in the kitchen. This did not go down well with Chinembiri, who took a kitchen knife and stabbed Joyce thrice in the stomach and once on the right thigh. He went on to drag Joyce into the bedroom where he stabbed her on the right side of the stomach, neck and head. The Herald