By KASONDE KASONDE –

THE KABWE magistrate’s court has convicted and committed a soldier facing indecent assault charges to the high court for sentencing.
Patrick Mwale, 37, a sergeant of Chindwin Barracks is charged with indecent assault.
Kabwe principal resident magistrate John Mbuzi said it was indisputable that Mwale had indecently assaulted the girl and the court had found him guilty and committed the case to the high court as the case attracted a minimum of 14 years.
Mwale on May 14, 2012 in Kabwe is alleged to have forced Reagan Mpundu, 19, and a 16-year-old girl to have sex while he watched before later forcing himself on the girl.
During trial, the State brought in six witnesses, among them Reagan who testified that Mwale forced him to have sex three times with the girl against his will.
Mwale threatened to report them to the school headteacher and their parents that he had found them having sex if they refused to do what he asked them to.
Mr Mbuzi found Mwale with a case to answer and put him on his defence were he brought in his wife as a witness before he also gave his defence.
During defence, his wife, Febby Nalungwe narrated how her husband was asked to pay K20,000 by the parents of two pupils he allegedly forced to have sex, failure to which they threatened to report him to the
police.
Ms Nalungwe told the court that on May 14, 2013 after her husband knocked off from work, she sent him to town to run errands for her and on his way back he met the two pupils in a bush.
Her husband explained to her when he returned home that he met the two in a compromising manner and threatened to report them to school authorities and to their parents.
Mwale denied having forced the two to have sex and that he found them having sex and only threatened to report them to the school authorities.
Mwale said he was surprised when the parents of the two asked him to pay them K20,000 failure to which they would report him to the police for forcing the two pupils to have sex and also for having carnal knowledge of the girl.