Precila Takabvirakare
MPANDAWANA – Rosemary Mutasa (18) of Mpandawana village under chief Gutu, last week appeared before magistrate Edwin Marecha charged with infanticide for locking her three-months-old baby in a room where the baby starved and suffocated to death.
Mutasa was convicted after pleading guilty to contravening Section 48 (1) (a) of The Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23 and was remanded in custody to March 28 for sentencing.
It was the State’s case that on February 29 at around 22: 00 hrs, Mutasa left her child unattended going to Emagumeni Night Club for a beer drink. The door and windows to the room were closed.
She then came back the following day at around 03: 00 hrs with the intention of breast-feeding her baby but she found that the baby no longer had any signs of life.
She reported the matter to the police who then did investigations that led to her arrest.
A post-mortem was done at Gutu Mission Hospital where it was seen that baby died due to starvation and suffocation.
Samuel Magobeya represented the State.
