adminHerald Reporter
A 38-year-old mentally challenged man from Gokwe last week fatally struck his eight-year-old son with bricks after running amok. Mashonaland East provincial police spokesperson Inspector Bulisani Bhebhe confirmed the incident saying the man had since appeared at Chivhu Magistrates’ Court facing a murder charge.
“We arrested the man after he killed his son by pounding his head with farm bricks after running amok. He has since appeared at Chivhu Magistrates’ Court facing murder charges,” he said.
It is alleged that sometime in September this year, the man and his son visited a relative in Chivhu. On October 3 at around 10pm, it is reported that the man started uttering imaginary statements to the effect that a group of people were following him with the intention of killing him.
He suddenly stood up and decided to leave the homestead in fear of the imaginary people, but his relatives managed to persuade him to sleep for that night.
It is alleged that while sitting in a hut with his relatives, the man suddenly ran amok and grabbed his son before throwing him into the fire.
His son managed to escape from the fire but the man chased him outside the hut where he continued assaulting his son with an ox harness.
Police reports indicate that the man started pounding his son’s head with farm bricks that were heaped nearby until he collapsed and died on the spot.
He then proceeded to the hut and set it ablaze. It is reported that villagers teamed up and apprehended him before handing him over to the police.
Police attended the scene and took the body to Chivhu Hospital mortuary for post-mortem.
Online Reporter