Miscarriage saves woman from prison

MULENGA MUSONDA WRITES THE Choma Magistrates Court has slapped a suspended sentence on a 21-year-old woman who trafficked in over 20 kilogrammes of Marijuana on health conditions after learning that she miscarried whilst in custody. Purity Mulenga of Choma’s Zambia Township was let off the hook after the Public Prosecutor informed the Court that she had a miscarriage. This was after the Court inquired as to whether Mulenga was the one that took plea whilst heavily pregnant a fortnight ago and wondered why she had been brought to Court immediately after being put on bed rest. In this matter Mulenga stood charged with trafficking in psychotropic substances contrary to the Laws of Zambia. Particulars of the offence were that Mulenga trafficked in 22.6 Kilogrammes of Marijuana, a herbal product of Cannabis Sativa without lawful authority or medical recommendation. When she appeared for facts before senior Resident Magistrate IdahMupemo, the accused person understood the facts of the offence and agreed that they were true and correct. According to Public Prosecutor Pearson Chilumbu’s dictation, the accused was apprehended by Drug Enforcement Commission Officers at Batoka area in Choma after mounting a road block following a tip off that a woman from Chibolya Township in Lusaka was travelling with the contraband to Choma. After the officers fished out the suspect from the bus 3 plastic bags concealed in a sack bag containing loose cannabis were recovered with an addition contraband recovered in her laptop bag. Mulenga was then taken to the Police were she was formally charged and arrested for the subject offence awaiting Court appearance. After finding her guilty on own admission, Mulenga pleaded with Court for lenience saying she involved herself in drug trafficking because of peer pressure and poverty. In passing sentence Magistrate Mupemo considered the fact that she was still of youthful age and needed to recover physically and psychologically following her miscarriage. She thus sentenced Mulenga to 12 months imprisonment but suspended the sentence for 24 months in which she should not commit a similar offence. The Sun