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Court Correspondent
The State has blasted two Harare men who allegedly erected an illegal billboard in Borrowdale, Harare, for delaying trial commencement.
Grant Ruseell (50) and Mark Strathen were supposed to stand trial yesterday on criminal nuisance charges but did not show up when their names were called out.
This led the State led by Mrs Shambadzeni Fungura to apply for a warrant of arrest, which was immediately issued by Harare magistrate Mr Shane Kubonera.
Mrs Fungura told the court that it was now a tactic being used by the accused person and their lawyer Mr Tendai Biti in a bid to evade trial.
She added that this was not the first time the accused persons to be issued a warrant of arrest on the issue.
Russell and Strathen later appeared in court and applied for the cancellation of their warrant of arrest. Mr Kubonera deferred the matter to September 30 for trial commencement.
The court heard that on December 10 last year at around 2pm, opposite Celebration Centre, Borrowdale, Harare, the accused persons erected a billboard with damaging information on West Properties in a bid to tarnish its image.
It is the State’s case that Russell and Strathen caused false alarm to the public through the information that was written on the billboard.
The court heard that the billboard erected by the two had contents likely to interfere with ordinary comfort or convenience of the complainant’s clients.
The complainant made a report to the police leading to their arrest.
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