Court convicts couple for selling son at K1.5m
The Dedza First Grade Magistrate court has sentenced a couple to eight years imprisonment with hard labour for allegedly selling its 12-year-old son to a Mozambican family at the tune of MK1.5 million.
The court heard on Thursday that Jemitala Alfred, 23, is a stepfather to the victim and reportedly convinced his wife, Mary Benard, 30, to sell the boy.
Police sub inspector Tedson Namaona, prosecuting, told the court that in April this year, a Mozambican family came to Malawi to a certain witchdoctor to find out the cause of their child’s death back home in Mozambique and coincidentally Jemitala, was there too.
Namaona said, the witchdoctor who is on the run told the Mozambican family to come the following day after assuring them that their boy would resurrect and then Jemitala rushed home and told his step son to accept the particulars of the deceased in the presence of the Mozambicans which the son did.
“The Mozambican family was charged K1.5 million which they paid,” he added.
The two pleaded not guilty but the state paraded five witnesses who all testified against them.
They asked the court for leniency saying they did not know that they were committing an offence.
But passing the judgement, First Grade Magistrate, Symon Mwambo said the action of the couple was inhumane therefore the sentence should deter other would be offenders.
He therefore, sentenced each to eight years jail sentence
The couple comes from Traditional Authority Kamenyagwaza in Dedza.
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