The cop who called chief police spokeswoman Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba an idiot has been acquitted. Magistrate Ms Jose...
The cop who called chief police spokeswoman Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba an idiot has been acquitted.Magistrate Ms Josephine Sande said that the State failed to prove a prima facie case against James Mabasa. The magistratesaid that there was no evidence indicating that the message pointed at Snr Asst Comm Charamba.
She also said that the manner in which the police confiscated Mabasa’s cellphone was illegal and that there was intrusion to his right to privacy because the message was sent on a private platform.
Mabasa, who is based at Police General Headquarters (PGHQ), was accused of making the remarks on a WhatsApp platform sometime in May last year. The message read: “The police used to hold meetings with magistrates and other law enforcement stakeholders to map a way forward, reducing lawlessness, but now it’s the other way round, the public have meetings with lawyers on ways to disregard police.
“The public relations office is headed by an idiot, who doesn’t know that she has to encourage the public to be compliant to the police.”
The police disciplinary hearing committee also withdrew charges against him after plea. The messages had not been authenticated by the service provider of WhatsApp.
COMMENTS