THE 20-YEAR-OLD housewife of Mtendere Township who admitted deserting her seven-months old baby and two others aged, six and seven has been jailed for one year.
But she is lucky the court was lenient by suspending the sentence for 15 months during which she should not commit a similar offence or else she will serve the full one year jail term in prison.
In this case, Maureen Makai was facing three counts of desertion of a child.
Evidence is that on August 31 this year, Makai, being a mother and having lawful custody of a baby boy,NC, aged six, wilfully and without lawful authority deserted or left the child without support.
It was also alleged that on the same date, the accused, being a mother and having lawful custody of a baby girl, MC, aged three, wilfully and without lawful authority deserted or left the child without support.
In the last count, allegations were that on the same date, Makai, being a mother and having lawful custody of a baby girl, CC, aged seven months-old, wilfully and without lawful authority deserted or left the child without support.
When she appeared before Lusaka Magistrate Mbuywana Sinvula, she admitted all the charges.
The court heard that she had bene deserting her children since 2022 until recently when her neighbours reported her to the police.
The last time she deserted her children was on August 29 between 07:00 and 11:00hours.
After been apprehended in connection with the allegations, the accused reportedly told the court
She admitted having left the children unattended because she had not helper who can look after.
The court also heard that when he neighbours counselled her on the need to be there for her little ones, she would hurl insults at them.
Before she was sentenced yesterday, the crying Maureen pleaded for mercy and informed the court she was unware her actions would land her in court.
“I am sorry,” she said.
Magistrate Sinvula chastised the accused for her uncalled for behaviour which put her children at risk.
She counselled her to be responsible because by virtue of being a mother, she forsook certain life styles and needed to be there for her children, especially the breast feeding youngest.
To exercise leniency, the magistrate, who warned she would not condone her behaviour if it reoccurs, gave her a 12months sentence suspended for 15 months, meaning should will not be in custody.
(Mwebantu, Thursday, 5th October, 2023)