By SYLVIA  MWEETWA –

A TWENTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD woman of Serenje district has been sentenced by the Kabwe High Court to five years imprisonment with hard labour for assaulting her nephew, whom she tied to the bed with chains for several days.
Judge Elita Mwikisa said Grace Machanga’s actions towards the child were inhuman and that the court was sending her to prison to reflect on her deeds.
Machanga on May 5, 2014 in Serenje tied the boy, aged 12, to the bed with chains in a bid to instill discipline, thereby causing injuries to the child.
The 12-year-old boy on the fateful day had both his legs and hands tied with chains to a bed which led to the boy being injured.
The boy was also hospitalised after he was released from bondage.
The boy was rescued by his uncle who later took him to the hospital where he was admitted.
When the case came up for hearing after Machanga appealed against both the conviction and sentence in a lower court, the lawyer representing her opted to withdraw the appeal.
Ms Justice Mwikisa described Machanga’s actions as uncalled for and that she had no right to cause such harm to an innocent child.
Ms Justice Mwikisa stressed the importance of ensuring that offenders of such atrocities faced the law to send a stern warning to would-be offenders.
She said as an aunt to the boy, Machanga was expected to look after the boy well and not mistreat him.
She reminded Machanga that it was important to respect the rights of a child at all times.