A 25-year-old woman in Lilongwe has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for pouring hot water on her boyfriend’s wife.
The First Grade Magistrate Court made the ruling on Wednesday, August 9.
The convict identified as Matrida Kankhosi has also been ordered to pay K100, 000 compensation to the victim.
The court heard through Lilongwe Police Prosecutor Sub Inspector Maggie Kayaka, that the incident occurred on July 23, 2023 at around 21:00 hours.
Kayaka said that the victim has been married to Gift Phiri since 2016.
In July this year, the wife temporarily left home for her parents’ place to spend some days.
It was this time that rumors started to reach her that back home, her husband was spending nights with another woman right in their matrimonial house.
The wife decided to curtail her stay at her parents’ place and secretly returned home during odd hours where she found her husband in the company of the Matrida.
When a fight broke out between the two ladies, Matrida rushed to a pot that had boiling water and poured the water on the victim’s entire body.
Matrida fled but was later arrested and charged with Act intended to Cause Grievous Harm.
In court, she pleaded guilty and prayed to the court for leniency.
However, the State through Kayaka asked the court to slap the convict with a deserving punishment saying that the victim is still nursing scald wounds as a result of Matrida’s actions.
Passing sentence, First Grade Magistrate Chakaka Nyirenda, concurred with the state, and observed that the offence committed is serious in nature.
Nyirenda then went on to sentence Matrida to 20 months imprisonment with hard labour and ordered her to pay K100,000 as compensation.
