The Blantyre Central Senior Resident Magistrate’s court has fined a driver K150,000 or in default to serve 12 months imprisonment with hard labour for biting a finger of a traffic officer and wounding him.
The driver is Lester Makawa.
State prosecutor Lyson Chavinda told the court that the traffic officer, Stephano Muthama was unlawfully wounded by the driver at Machinjiri Turn Off along Magalasi road when traffic officers mounted an ad hoc roadblock.
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He said traffic officers stopped the driver who was driving under the influence of alcohol.
Chavinda further told the court that the officers cautioned the driver and tried to reason with him but he was very violent and uncooperative.
They arrested him before taking him to Ndirande Police Station.
Chavinda told the presiding magistrate Euphrazia Moyo that at the station, the convict was still violent and he bite the finger of Muthama, as officers were dragging him into a police cell.
Appearing before court, he pleaded guilty of Unlawful wounding.
In mitigation, he asked the court for leniency, saying he is the first offender and that he did it under the influence of alcohol and has family obligation.
He further apologized to the police officer.
But Chavinda quashed the mitigation factors and prayed for stiffer deterrent sentence considering that he was very uncooperative and displayed uncalled for behavior as a qualified driver.
The Magistrate ordered the driver to pay a fine of K150,000.00 or in default serve 12 months imprisonment with hard labour.
The court ordered that K100,000.00 should go to Muthama as compensation.
The driver has since paid the fine.
The driver Lester Makawa is also answering a charge of resisting lawful arrest and is remanded to Chichiri Prison.
