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Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Court Reporter
Notorious armed robber Luckmore Matambanadzo will serve his effective nine-year prison term after the High Court last week threw out his appeal against conviction and sentence.
A Harare Regional Court convicted Matambanadzo in 2008 for robbing a city couple of an Isuzu KB250 vehicle at gun-point.
The vehicle was recovered at a roadblock in Chiredzi when Matambanadzo had sent a set of twins – Elphanet and John Shana – to deliver the vehicle to a buyer.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and three years were conditionally set aside, but was released on bail pending appeal.
Matambanadzo then appealed at the High Court against conviction and sentence, but the Appeal Court last week upheld the magistrate’s decision.
Judge President George Chiweshe ruled that the magistrate properly convicted and sentenced Matambanadzo and that there was no misdirection on his part.
“In my view, the appellant was properly convicted of the offence with which he was charged,” he said.
“I conclude that in sentencing the appellant the way it did, the court exercised its discretion properly and that any misdirection on its part was not of material significance.
“No substantial miscarriage of justice occurred in this particular case. Accordingly, it is ordered that the appeal be and is hereby dismissed in its entirety.”
Justice Ben Hlatshwayo concurred with the Judge President’s findings.
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