adminMarvelous Moyo Gwanda Correspondent
A COMMUTER bus tout has been fined $100 for escaping from lawful custody and biting a police officer. Busani Sibanda, 28, of Marriage Quarters in Gwanda, pleaded guilty to two counts of escaping from lawful custody and assaulting a police officer when he appeared before magistrate Arafat Kozanai.
He was fined $50 or 20 days imprisonment in default of payment for each count, bringing the total to $100 or 40 days imprisonment.
Prosecutor Moses Gondongwe told the court that on June 6 at around 11AM, Muropafadzo Zhou, 31, who is attached to the police cycle patrol unit, was on duty in the town’s centre near the Bulawayo-Gwanda taxi rank when he saw Sibanda and another tout, Clement Ncube fighting.
When Zhou attempted to arrest the fighting touts, Sibanda fled the scene, but police officers went after him.
“The complainant and one Constable Gute arrested the two. The accused person escaped from the arrest and hid at Dickies Restaurant. A search was conducted at the restaurant and they managed to arrest the accused person for the second time,” the court heard.
A kombi driver took them to the police station in his vehicle.
However, while they were on their way to the police station, Sibanda bit the police officer on the shoulder.
Ncube was fined $20 by the police for disorderly conduct in a public place.
Online Reporter