Corpun file 4064

The Times of Zambia, Ndola, 19 November 1996

Killer boy to be caned

By Times Reporter

A THIRTEEN-year-old boy who caused the death of his friend after he hit him with an umbrella on the head was ordered to receive three strokes of the cane.

Kitwe High Court judge Valentine Chileshe ordered the boy of Chingola to receive the strokes after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The boy who was originally charged with murder had the charge reduced to manslaughter after an application by the State.

Facts were that on February 27, this year the boy caused the death of Lee Kahehu. The court heard that Lee went to visit the offender who was his friend after knocking off from school.

Lee found his friend operating a sales stand at the junction of Lumbuka and Mutende s treets.

While chatting the boy got a rubber string and hit his friend on the head. It annoyed the friend and a fight ensued.

The boy got an umbrella and tried to hit Lee, but he got hold of it and ran away.

After a while the deceased went back and handed the umbrella to the offender.

The offender demanded that the deceased leave the place, but when Lee resisted, the boy pushed him on the ground using one end of the umbrella which caused him to fall. In the process Lee hit his head on the pavement.

The deceased became unnconsious. Upon seeing what had happened the boy was afraid so he went and informed the deceased's mother who came and took Lee to Kabundi clinic where he was pronounced dead.

Passing sentence Mr Justice Chileshe observed that the boy was a first offender who had readily pleaded guilty to the charge.

"Since he had no intention of killing his friend, he deserves a lenient sentence and is ordered to receive three strokes of the cane," the judge said.