A 52-year-old police officer at Kapiri-Mposhi Police Station has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for aiding a prisoner to escape.
Appearing before Kapiri Mposhi Magistrate, Edward Banda was Willa Simbaya, a Police Inspector, charged with an offence of aiding a prisoner contrary to Section 120 (a) of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
Particulars of the offence are that on 11th February 2022 being a police officer, Simbaya helped a prisoner namely Allan Mayaka, 27, appearing before court facing two counts of assault, to escape from lawful custody after receiving a monetary bribe of K 1,500.
During trial the father to the prisoner who escaped, Frank Mayaka, testified as a state witness and narrated how Inspector Simbaya solicited for K 3,000 from him to assist his son to be released.
Mayaka however narrated that he could only manage to secure K 1,500 which Inspector Simbaya received from him at Kapiri – Mposhi Magistrates court premises on 10th February 2022 after his son was sentenced to imprisonment.
In mitigation, Inspector Simbaya who has served the Zambia Police for 24 years regretted his action begging the court not to send him to jail as he had four children who would suffer if he was sent to prison.
But in passing judgement, Magistrate Banda noted that the offence Inspector Simbaya had committed was very serious and attracted a maximum of seven years custodial sentence.
