Cephas Shava
A 36-year-old passenger who was angered by the endless police roadblocks on the road threatened to commit suicide, labelled police officers thieves before disappearing with a pair of handcuffs, the Mwenezi Court heard last week.
Farirepi Nhongoviro of Mutoredzanwa village, Chief Nemauzhe in Chivi, pleaded not guilty on disorderly conduct and escaping from lawful custody charges when he appeared before magistrate Honest Musiiwa.
Nhongoviro said the police merely arrested him because he dared ask the driver of the car he was travelling in the nature of the offence he was being charged with.
He argued that he did not escape from custody, saying he went straight to the police camp after his arrest because the police officers who had handcuffed him wanted to keep him for the whole night at the roadblock as a way of fixing him.
However, one of the officers who was at the roadblock on the day in question, Brian Siyabonga told the court that Nhongoviro scolded him and his colleagues, calling them perennial thieves.
They also alleged that Nhongorivo threatened to cause a scene, blocked some motorists from freely moving and threatened to throw himself in front of moving cars.
The State’s case, as presented by prosecutor Willard Chasi was that on May 13, 2017 at the 166 km peg along Masvingo – Beitbridge highway, Nhongoviro was a passenger in a car that was stopped at a roadblock.
He allegedly engaged in riotous conduct by running around the road block shouting at police officers and disturbing the free movement of vehicles.
After being arrested at that roadblock, the handcuffed Nhongoviro allegedly ran away and disappeared into the darkness.
He was later spotted that same evening on his way to Mwenezi police station where he was arrested again.
The trial continues..
