By LUCY PHIRI
THE LUSAKA Magistrate Court has sentenced a 30-year-old man of Lilanda’s Desai compound in Lusaka to five years imprisonment with hard labour for abducting and one year for assaulting juveniles under the age of 16.
Vincent Mulenga pleaded not guilty to two counts of abduction, two counts of defilement and two counts of sssault contrary to the Laws of Zambia.
Meanwhile, outgoing magistrate, Ntandose Chabala in passing judgement sent Mulenga to the High Court for sentencing on two counts of defilement as the subordinate court has no jurisdiction to give sentence to matters which exceeds more than a seven-year sentence.
Magistrate Chabala ruled that the court had established that Mulenga indeed abducted, defiled and assaulted the juveniles.
The court also established that the prosecution witnesses proved beyond reasonable doubt that Mulenga was involved in the offences.
It is alleged that Mulenga abducted girls below the age of 16 and confined them in his bar in a dark room where he used to give them drugs, have sex with them and later took them to some lodges in the Emmasdale area and made them sleep with other men for money. Allegations are that Mulenga on dates unknown but between November 19, 2021 and November 26, 2021 in Lusaka, did unlawfully take unmarried girls under the age 16 years out of care and protection of their mothers, having the lawful care, against their will.
Mulenga, in his defence, said he never abducted any girl or had sex with them. He also said he did not give any of them drugs as purported.
In re-examination, state prosecutor Wisdom Kashweka asked him to confirm if he took one of the girls to Devil Street in Matero and made her have sex with men soliciting for money? He said he doesn’t know a thing.
Mr Kashweka further asked why he did not challenge any of the girls in court when giving testimony that he never knew them or saw them anywhere. He said it was his first time seeing them in court, he doesn’t know any of them.
