In this matter, Mwayana Nyirongo, 30, and Miriam Banda, 17, both of Makeni Villa in Lusaka, Zambia on June 18 assaulted Edith Sankeni, occasioning her actual bodily harm. The two pleaded guilty to the offence.
And when the matter came up for facts and sentencing yesterday, the State told the court that Nyirongo’s husband had borrowed a phone from Ms Sankeni, but when returning it, the husband removed a memory card.
It was at this point that Nyirongo’s husband asked Ms Sankeni to follow him home so that she could get her memory card.
The court also heard that upon finding Ms Sankeni in the house, Nyirongo got irritated and started beating, insulting and calling Ms Sankeni a prostitute.
At this point, some neighbours, among them a juvenile, joined the beating and undressed Ms Sankeni on pretext that she was a prostitute.
The court also heard that Nyirongo’s husband tried to stop the fight but to no avail until two unidentified women rescued Ms Sankeni and offered her a cloth.
And delivering judgment, magistrate Wishimanga found the two accused persons guilty and convicted them.
In mitigation, Nyirongo asked the court for forgiveness, saying she was a mother of three with the youngest being three years old.
And the juvenile offender also asked for leniency that she was a pupil in grade nine and was about to write her examinations.
But magistrate Wishimanga warned the two, describing their behaviour as savagery.
She referred the matter of the juvenile to the juvenile court where a report was presented by the social welfare office.
And social welfare probation officer Brenda Mafuta told the court that the juvenile offender admitted the charge with remorse during the interview.
Ms Mafuta said the juvenile was a first offender and a school going child whose parents have said the period she spent in detention will help her not to re-offend but to get rehabilitated.
But magistrate Wishimanga directed that the juvenile goes through counselling so that she can be rehabilitated.