DESPITE the Lusaka Magistrates Court granting her bail on September 13, Longwe Ngosa who is accused of repeatedly assaulting her step son has remained behind bars, having failed to meet the conditions of K3,000 and two traceable sureties.
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Ngosa’s latest appearance in court yesterday revealed a strained relationship with her lawyer, Shupa Chipompela.
The lawyer wanted to challenge the testimony by Ngosa’s arresting officer Barbara Mutelo that the former admitted to the charge of assault on a child when she blamed all the abuse of her four-year old step son on his late mother’s ghost.
He had asked magistrate Mutinta Mwenya to give him enough time to make his client understand the implications of the officers testimony.
But the five-month stay behind bars has taken its toll on Ngosa and she just wants the case to end without any delays and so, she told her lawyer to avoid preliminaries and allow the State to conclude their case already.
But this did not go down well with the lawyer who opted to let Ngosa be on her own for failing to heed to his counsel.
When the case was called Chipompela withdrew his representation.
Following Chipompela’s withdrawal, Ngosa agreed to having the arresting officer conclude her testimony as she awaits to engage another lawyer.
After taking the stand Mutelo produced a green hose pipe that was allegedly used to inflict pain on the survivor.
Ngosa objected to the production of the weapon on reasons that she did not know its source.
Mutelo indicated that the hose pipe was given to her by Ngosa’s biological son who is a teenager.
She said she charged Ngosa for assault on a child because she didn’t give her a satisfactory answer relating to the child’s whip marks.
Magistrate Mwenya adjourned the case to January 17, 2024 to allow Ngosa to engage another lawyer who will help her cross examine Mutelo
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba December 29, 2023.
