A court in Mchinji on Wednesday sentenced a 28 year old woman to two and a half years in prison for scalding her late sister’s daughter with cooking oil.
The woman has been identified as Selina Twaibu. She assaulted the child for eating soya pieces without permission.
State prosecutor Davie Kusamale told the court that the convict on March 27 left home for Mkanda Trading Centre where she used to do her small scaled business.
At home, she left five children, including the victim, with no food to eat.
When the children felt hungry, they resorted to eating soya pieces that was meant for relish and this angered the convict as such she decided to discipline the kids.
However, instead of punishing them all, she grabbed the hands of the victim and put them into hot cooking oil.
Neighbours rescued the victim and reported the matter to Mkanda Police Unit who later referred the victim to Mkanda Health Centre for examination and treatment where results indicated that the four-year-old child had sustained burnt blisters.
In his sentence, First Grade Magistrate Arthur Mtalimanja slapped the convict to 30 months imprisonment with hard labour for Acts Intended to Cause Grievous Harm.
The convict, Selina Twaibu hails from Theka Village in the area of Senior Chief Mkanda in Mchinji district.
