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TWO persons in a case they are jointly charged with five others accused of brutally killing two taxi drivers using a metal wire have applied to the court to change legal representation claiming they have never seen their lawyer.
The two accused persons applied to Kabwe High Court Judge Elita Mwikisa to allow them change their lawyer Tutwa Ngulube from Nanguzyambo Associates to Legal Aid.
This is in a case in which the seven are facing two counts of murder, attempted murder and aggravated robbery.
Particulars of the offence were that in count one, the accused on September 12, 2012 in Kabwe stole from Simon Phiri a Toyota Corolla registration Number ABZ 1481 valued at K21,000.
In count two, the seven whilst acting together murdered Simon Phiri and in count three whilst acting together stole a motor vehicle from Aaron Hansanda a Toyota Sprinter registration number ABZ 3004 valued at K20,000.
In count four, they are facing murder charges for Hansanda, and in count five two of the accused on January 10,2013 in Kabwe whilst acting together assaulted Eugene Mulenga with intent to steal a motor vehicle namely Toyota Corolla Registration number ACR 6892 valued at K28,000 while armed with a wire.
The seven have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
But when the case came up for the continuation of trial, Kingsley and Joseph applied to the court for change of their lawyers. The court granted the application.
Police officers testified in court how the juvenile offenders lead them to the scene of the crimes.
Josephat Mukuba, 28, of Kabwe Police station told the court that on January 11, 2013 around 01:00 hours, he received a phone call from an informer that some suspected criminals believed to be behind the killing of Taxi drivers were lodging at a house in Kabwe.
Mr Mukuba said he called for backup from the anti-robbery squad and went to the house where two juvenile suspects were picked up.
He said Eugene Mulenga a taxi driver who had been attacked that same night accompanied the police officers and identified the two as the ones that attacked him.
Mr Mukuba explained that after questioning the two over the killing of taxi drivers they lead the police where they had dumped two of the bodies of other taxi drivers they killed earlier using a wire and stolen vehicles from.
He told the court that the two lead the police officers to Kabwe’s Natuseko Site and Service at a place called Chidizi were they dumped the bodies in a stream.
Mr Mukuba added that the accused later lead police officers to Ndola at a garage were the vehicles they stole were being dismantled and dragon wires were been made.
Nyambezi Zimba aged 45 narrated how on September 12, 2012 around 19:00 hours after supper, her son Simon Phiri left home for his night shift as a taxi driver.
Zimba said her son used to work in the night and he usually went back home around 07:00 hours the following day. But on that day, he did not show up and that the following morning, she went to sell local brew unknown as Munkoyo.
She said on her return later in the afternoon, she went back home and was shocked to find a number of people at her house and that’s how she learnt that her son had been killed.
Zimba said she went to Kabwe General Hospital Mortuary and identified her son whose body was swollen up and had a dragon wire across the neck.
Times of Zambia
