Plumtree teen acquitted of aggravated assault charges

29.08.24

Thubelihle Mhodi

Bulawayo High Court Judge Justice Ngoni Nduna has acquitted a 13-year-old boy from Plumtree of aggravated assault charges, setting aside his 15-year prison sentence.

The minor had been incarcerated for over a week before his release. He was initially convicted for imitating explicit material seen on a peer’s phone and performing the act on a seven-year-old, leading to his arrest and sentencing.

However, Judge Nduna cited significant shortfalls in the trial, including the failure to provide the guardian with sufficient information to assist the child, deeming it “a grave miscarriage of justice.” The acquittal comes after Plumtree residents complained that the sentence was too harsh.

The judge’s decision aligns with the Zimbabwean Constitution’s mandate that children in detention should be kept separately from adults for the shortest appropriate period and treated suitably for their age.