Man gets one month in jail for sideswiping car

Online Reporter 

A DRIVER who side swiped a stationary car, leading to its driver dying from injuries and fleeing the scene, will spend a month in jail for the crime.

The man, 41 year old Simbarashe Tsiga from Harare, appeared before Norton Magistrates court on charges of culpable homicide.

In a statement, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said according to the Prosecution, in the early hours of February 25 this year Tsiga was driving a white Volkswagen along Harare-Bulawayo road.

“As he approached the 30 km peg along the road he lost control of his vehicle and side swiped a Nissan March hatchback which was stationary on the outer lane of the road. As a result of the impact the driver of the Nissan March was seriously injured,” read the statement.

The NPAZ said Tsiga managed to escape and flee the accident scene when his vehicle caught fire, burst and burnt to ashes.

“The injured driver was rushed to Norton hospital but was declared dead upon admission.

“The accused pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a fine of US$300 to be paid by the 30th of May, failing which the accused person will serve 30 days in prison. A further six months imprisonment were wholly suspended on the condition that the accused person does not within the next 5 years commit a similar offence,” read the statement.

Car dealer up for US$17k theft

Online Reporter

A car dealer is facing three counts of theft of property after he failed to deliver vehicles and an embroidery machine all worth US$17 000.

In a statement, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said the Norton man, 47 year old Lovemore Pedzi, appeared before the Norton Magistrates’ Court facing three counts of theft of property.

“State allegations are that on the 29th of June 2023 at K229 Katanga, the accused person who is a car dealer was approached by Chiratidzo Mupfurutsa (36) who is the complainant in this matter for a car deal. He received USD1 900 as part payment for importing a car. The accused person received a further payment of USD1 400 sometime in August 2023. He however failed to provide the complainant with the vehicle and was evasive, claiming that he was out of the country,” said the NPAZ.

Sometime in August 2023, the Pedzi received US$8 500 from another complainant as payment for an embroidery machine to be delivered in 10 weeks.

However, the NPAZ said, Pedzi failed to deliver the product prompting the complainant to report the matter to the Police.

This year on January 27, the NPAZ said Pedzi received US$5 200 as payment for importation of a vehicle which he advertised on WhatsApp.

“He sent a picture of a purchase invoice to the complainant purporting that it was from Be Forward as proof of payment for the vehicle. Three weeks later, the complainant requested for the importation documents but the accused person was evasive. Efforts to get the papers was futile since the accused person claimed to be out of the country,” said the NPAZ.

Police investigations led to the arrest of the accused person. He was remanded in custody to the 2nd of May 2024.

Depardieu released after questioning about allegations made by two women that he sexually assaulted them on film sets.

French actor Gerard Depardieu has been released after police questioned him in connection with sexual assault allegations, his lawyer has said.

French media had reported earlier on Monday that Depardieu was in police custody for questioning about allegations made by two women that he sexually assaulted them on film sets.

Speaking to reporters as he was leaving the police station in the 14th district of Paris, the actor’s lawyer, Christian Saint-Palais, said: “The police custody is over. He is no longer held in the police station.”

Depardieu, 75, one of France’s top movie stars, has been at the centre of a number of sexual assault allegations in recent years that have tarnished his legacy and exposed broader divisions about sexual conduct in France.

BFMTV and Le Parisien reported that the police summons relates to accusations of sexual assault filed by two women who accuse him of groping during filming – one in 2014, the other in 2021.

Alleged assaults

The alleged 2014 assault was reported to police in January this year, Le Parisien reported.

The other alleged assault involved a 53-year-old movie decorator. She alleged that Depardieu grabbed her and kneaded her waist, stomach and breasts during filming for the movie Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters), according to the woman’s lawyer, Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, when she filed the complaint with the Paris prosecutor’s office in February.

Depardieu already faces a rape charge, as well as claims of assault from more than a dozen women – all of which he has strongly denied.