A 13-YEAR-OLD boy disclosed to his neighbour that his biological mother had been beating his four-year-old step brother whenever the child refuses to eat or urinates on himself.
A court heard that the child witness also informed his neighbour that his mother, Ngosa Longwe, would also beat the boy using a hosepipe when he defecates on himself.
Further, when police were investigating the alleged torture of the boy, the 13-year-old gave the same version of the story informing police that his mother used to beat his step-brother, who is in baby class.
This is in a case Longwe Ngosa, 29, of Apollo Military Camp, Lusaka, is charged with assault on a child, an offence attracting a minimum five year jail term.
Between April 1 and July 31, 2023, Ngosa, a military officer’s wife, allegedly assualted IB, a child under the age of 16 years, thereby occasioning him actual bodily harm.
Last month, a clip went viral on Facebook in which IB was filmed narrating to his teacher how his mother had been beating him using different kind of weapons.
Ngosa was later arrested and charged in connection with the assault, an offence she denied committing.
During trial before Mutinta Mwenya, Longwe’s neighbour informed the court that the accused’s biological older son, 13, told her that Longwe used to beat IB.
Bridget Chimfwembe testified that she queried the older boy after his mother was arrested in connection with assault at provost in the military camp.
“I then rushed back home and called the victim’s brother. I asked him to tell me the truth as to whether victim was being beaten, he admitted. I asked why he was beaten and I was told that when he refuses to eat, defecates on himself or urinates on himself,” Ms Chimfwembe said and informed the court that she knows the victim’s whose mother died some two years ago.
“When I earlier inspected the child, I saw scars on his body,” she narrated.
(Mwebantu, Tuesday, 14th November, 2023)
ephy
November 15, 2023 at 3:12 pm
this ms chimfwembe might just add salt to the wound. who doesn’t beat a child for defacating and urinating carelessly? The stepmother ‘beats’ IB so that IB can eat and become health instead of denying him food and because she’s a step mom it becomes an issue. the court should exercise CARE with evidence before arriving at judgment coz 5year jail is not a ‘childs play’.