SEVEN suspected armed robbers have been acquitted on charges of theft and assault after the investigating officer failed to take the witness stand.
The charges were withdrawn before plea after the arresting officer Sergeant Kizito Mahachi failed to appear in court on several occasions to give his recorded statement in the matter.
The accused persons Nyasha Simbi (27), an assistant manager at Thunderbird Mine in Gweru, as well as Kimpton Sibanda (24), Takudzwa Nyoni (33), Hercluse Nhongo (29), Bright Ndlovu (43), Alex Simbi (42) and Samu Sibanda (24) were set free.
They appeared before Gweru regional magistrate Christopher Maturure.
The lawyer for the accused persons, Esau Mandipa, said justice had been served as his clients were allegedly framed following a gold mine wrangle.
“Our next step will be to sue all those involved in this smear campaign and character assassination in long time gold and land wrangles that have nothing to do with any criminal case,” Mandipa said.
The State alleged that on February 8 this year, the accused persons pounced on one Shepherd Kutse, a blaster at MT Mine when he was asleep.
Kutse was in the company of two co-employees. It was alleged the accused persons were armed with machetes, knobkerries, sjamboks and a pistol.
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The court heard that the accused persons allegedly used the weapons to assault the complainants while demanding gold and money.
No medical report was, however, presented in court to back up the assault claims.
It was also alleged that one of the accused persons stole one of the complainant’s Samsung cellphone from a tent.
It was further alleged that one of the accused persons strangled a worker with a rope demanding money before the gang allegedly made off with 35 litres of diesel and a Y20 jack hammer.
The court also heard that the accused persons took the complainants to a mine shaft where they continued to assault them.
One of the complainants escaped and filed a report at ZRP Gweru Rural Police Station, leading to the arrest of accused persons.
