Ngosa Longwe has told the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court that the dark marks on her step-son’s back were as a result of bed sores and not from beatings as alleged.
The accused also testified that the sores on the boy’s belly was an allergy.
Longwe told Magistrate Mutinta Mwenya that she started taking care of of the boy when he was just one-year and three months, and had been a good mother since then.
The boy had earlier testified that the step-mother assaulted him using knife and what he referred to as a shamboko (whip).
The child told the court that the accused whom he referred to as ‘Mummy’ would beat him whenever he urinated on himself.
The Court was shown the dark marks caused by the whip all over the boy’s body such as the stomach and backside.
Ngosa, 29, had been accused of assaulting the boy.
Ngosa, a wife of a Zambian Army officer of Appolo Barracks in Lusaka, pleaded not guilty to one count of assaulting a child.
The accused on unknown dates but between April 1 and July 31, 2023, allegedly assaulted her step son.
But in her defence, Ngosa denied assualting the child saying she had been a caring mother.
“The marks on the back, he obtained them when he was admitted to UTH after he broke his leg. And here with me is the file from UTH where every time he was admitted to UTH is recorded. He developed bed sores due to the position he was told to sleep,” she said.
Magistrate Mutinta has set March 11, 2023 as the date of judgment.
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