Suspects to still camp at nearest police during games
The Blantyre Magistrate’s Court has reportedly declined hooliganism suspects Robert Bennet and John Dick’s plea to revise their bail preconditions of reporting to nearest police stations during Kamuzu Stadium competitive football matches.
Police prosecutor inspector Lyson Chavinda confirmed on Wednesday that senior magistrate Chikondi Mandala declined the suspects’ plea made at the last court appearance on June 10 2015.
In addition to spending the entire duration of games at police station, they have since March 25, when they were charged, been reporting to the stations every Monday.
“The magistrate ruled that there were no sufficient grounds for revising the bail conditions and that violence was still escalating,” said Chavinda.
“The accused have started making their defence by bringing their witnesses. Only Dick is yet to do that. We have paraded four witnesses; four police officers and one civilian Andrea Kapanda who caught Dick during the incident.”
The two are answering disorderly conduct charges for allegedly perpetrating violence during a Be Forward sponsorship launch match between Be Forward Wanderers and Silver Strikers at Kamuzu Stadium on March 22 2015. They are accused of contravening Section 113 of the Police Act and the offence attracts a K20 000 (US$44) fine.
The Act in part reads that “any person who at football matches uses throws anything at or towards the playing area or adjacent the playing area, or an area where spectators or others may be present ; commits an offence, and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine of K20, 000 and to an order to perform community service.”
The suspects, who deny the charges, appeared before the court first on March 25 2015 when they were granted the bail after paying surety of K15 000 (US$33) each.
Since that time, violence flared again mid last month during a TNM Super League game between Surestream and Red Lions at the same venue leading to weeks later the death of Geoffrey Mwale due to brain injuries sustained when some people allegedly to be soldiers assaulted him during the chaos.
