A police officer is walking free after the Masvingo High Court threw out the conviction and five-year prison sentence after he was found guilty of bedding a minor. Constable Michael Jackson (32), who was convicted for his involvement with a girl who was just 14 years old at the time, is now a free man after a successful appeal.
The original verdict, delivered in the Gweru regional court, saw Jackson sentenced by Magistrate Christopher Maturure. While he had initially faced more severe rape charges, the court ultimately convicted him on the lesser charge of engaging in sexual activity with a minor, citing that the encounters were consensual. The court had imposed a five-year sentence, with two years suspended on condition of good behaviour.
Police Officer Walks Free After High Court Throws Out Five-Year Sentence For Bedding A Minor
The officer’s freedom is the result of a robust appeal led by his legal representative, the prominent Gweru lawyer, Mr Esau Mandipa, of Mandipa, Makwara, and Chikukwa Legal Practice. The appeal was heard by Justice Garainesu Mawadze in the Masvingo High Court, resulting in a complete reversal of the lower court’s decision.
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The subsequent court order was unequivocal. It stated,
“The convictions in respect of counts one to three be and are hereby quashed, and the sentence imposed by the court a quo set aside and substituted with the following: the accused is found not guilty in respect of all three counts and is acquitted.”
This legal ruling effectively wipes the slate clean for the former convict, who can no longer be tried for the same alleged offences.
Background of the now-overturned case
The case originated from incidents that occurred on the night of October 28, 2022. The court had previously heard that the teenage complainant had returned to her home at ZRP Main Camp in Gweru after attending a party, only to find herself locked out. The prosecutor in the original trial, Mr Talent Tadenyika, outlined the sequence of events that followed.
“Jackson approached the girl and requested her to accompany him to Milan Family Restaurant in the central business district,” Mr Tadenyika had told the court.
The pair allegedly drove into town in the officer’s Nissan X-Trail, where he bought her a burger and a drink. The situation then took an intimate turn.
“Jackson drove his motor vehicle and parked it outside Gweru Rural Police Station and requested the complainant to come and sit on the front seat,” the prosecutor continued. “
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The accused person started to fondle her breasts. The accused person removed the complainant’s jean trousers and pants, he lowered his trousers and had sexual intercourse once without her consent.”
After this encounter, Jackson reportedly drove home and dropped the girl at her house. However, finding herself locked out for a second time, she then went to Jackson’s house to ask for a place to sleep for the night, where a further sexual act allegedly took place. It was only the following morning, when the girl’s parents questioned her about her whereabouts, that a report was made to the police, leading to Jackson’s initial arrest. With the High Court’s recent ruling, this chapter of the policeman’s life has now been officially closed.
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The post Police Officer Walks Free After High Court Throws Out Five-Year Sentence For Bedding A Minor appeared first on iHarare News.
