By CHARLES MUSONDA
THE Lusaka Magistrates Court has fined an alleged Patriotic Front (PF) cadre for harassing a civil servant on grounds that she was sympathizing with a named political party.
Charles Kakula was yesterday ordered to pay K12,000 failure to which he would serve nine months in default.
Lusaka Magistrate Faides Hamaundu convicted Kakula yesterday after he pleaded guilty to the offence on three counts.
The 24-year- old medical records clerk was charged with common assault and criminal trespass. Particulars in the first count were that Kakula of Kamwala threatened violence against Shelly Chatungwa by telling her that he would burn her alive in her office.
In count two particulars were that on the same date Kakula jointly and whilst acting with other unknown persons unlawfully assaulted Ms. Chatungwa.
In the third count the convict was charged with entering the Ministry of Works with intent to commit a felony.
The matter came up for facts last Friday when Kakula admitted the charge. He admitted that he had neither authority nor right to do actions against Ms. Chatengwa.
In his mitigation, Kakula asked for the court’s mercy on grounds that he did not understand what entered his mind for him to conduct himself in such a way.
He said he is a Christian who also keeps about eight dependants some who are school going children. Kakula further told Magistrate Hamaundu that he is in employment and is intending to continue with education.
The court considered Kakula’s mitigation especially that he did not waste time by readily admitting the charge against him.
She however considered that his conduct of entering a government office and conducting himself in the manner he did was not called for.
Ms. Hamaundu then considered that Kakula is a first offender who readily admitted the charge, a misdemeanor, and exercised leniency on him. She ordered him to pay K6,000 in the first count or serve nine months in default. In counts two and three Ms. Hamaundu fined Kakula K3,000 on each, failure to which he would serve six months on both.
