Malawi court fines ‘trapped wizard’ for criminal trespass
A 25- year- old man who insisted to be a wizard before Thyolo Second Grade Magistrate Court was on Wednesday found guilty of criminal trespass and fined K6000, in default serve a six-month jail term.
Lameck Manjomo, who was initially being tried for burglary, stunned the court when he denied he was not a thief, but rather a wizard who was on his night adventures, and alleged that charms of the owner of the house trapped him.
Manjomo brought laughter in court when he tendered evidence he was a wizard and that he killed his grandfather and could fly. But when magistrate Lameck Mkwapatira asked him fly, he said he could not do that in court, but only in his house.
Police Prosecutor, Inspector Llyod Kachotsa told the court that Manjomo was found in the house of Hector Odillo Banda without being noticed and that he had a panga knife. He said Banda the police.
Banda told the court that he found Manjoma in the house and insisted that the convict was a thief who had been trapped by charms which he has in his house.
Banda told the court that he found Manjomo sleeping on a chair in his house with a panga knife by his side. But Manjomo denied having gone with a panga knife, and said he did not know how he got into the house.
Manjomo told the court that Banda asked him to pay K7, 000 before he could be released. He said he paid K4, 500 but was surprised that Banda called the police when they had solved the “issue internally”.
Banda said when his neighbours heard about what had happened, they flocked to his house and beat up Manjoma. He said he called the police who rescued from the angry mob.
Mkwapatira said the accused did not deny being found in the house of the complainant and found him guilty of criminal trespass, and fined him K6, 000 or serve six months in jail in default.
Manjomo, who hails from Chibwana Village in the area of Traditional Authority Chimaliro in Thyolo, has paid the fine and has since been released.
