01/04/2025
TWO YOUNG DOCTORS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR KILLING THEIR 14-YEAR-OLD MAID IN LUSAKA (Full Story: http://www.zambianpolitics.com/2025/04/two-young-doctors-sentenced-to-life-in.html )
TWINS aged two years are reportedly in a correctional facility together with their mother who was yesterday jailed to life imprisonment for murder.
Dr. Majory Lulembo, 30, of Chalala Rockfield was yesterday jailed alongside her husband Dr. Smart Mumba, 35 after being found guilty of killing their 14-year-old maid, Janet Chola.
Before Lusaka High Court Judge Vincent Siloka jailed the couple yesterday, defence lawyers pleaded for mercy on behalf of the couple, who were parents.
“We plead and seek the indulgence of this court to excercise the maximum leniency taking into account that the duo are parents are two of the children(twins) are being brought up in the prison and looking at the matter from a holistic perspective…” Martha Mushipe, one of the defence lawyer pleaded.
The defence submitted that the accused were provoked after Janet dropped one of the twin babies who was assumed to have died after collapsing.
But the Judge said his hands were tied and needed to punish the couple for beating Janet who succumbed to life threatening injuries in 2023 after being injured by the accsued.
“She died a slow and painful death where the skin and nails were [traumatically] removed systematically,” Judge Siloka said.
He further wondered why the two physicians never bothered to take the child to the hospital after she sustained life threatening injuries at their home.
The judge noted the couple’s failure to take Janet to the hospital in spite of the serious injuries she suffered at their hands, which he said was a clear indication the two caused the injuries and wanted to conceal.
“They picked the body and took it to University Teaching Hospital police post when it was police who should have picked it. ..The body was taken to police by accused because they had something to hide,” Judge Siloka said.
He said the death of Janet, whom the couple accused of being eating their babies’ porridge and also stubborn, would have been avoided if the two were patient the victim, who came into town in a new environment.
The judge said if the couple was tired of the child’s reported delinquent behavior, they should have sent her back to her parents.
“You should have sent her back, she was not your child. Now look, you are parents and have three children. You will deny them love of being with parents…this could have been avoided,” Judge Siloka said.
This case was reported to police in August 2023, leading to the arrest of the couple following Janet’s suspicious death.
It was alleged that on that day, the duo took Janet’s body to UTH Police Post to obtain the Brought-In-Dead certificate but police suspected foul play as the body had multiple injuries.
Investigations revealed that on August 29, 2023, the couple had a physical confrontation with Janet before she died.
The couple denied killing the victim, who had internal injuries, but Mumba admitted whipping her after she dropped one of the twins on the floor, leaving the baby unconscious.
Mumba said after thrashing Janet, she run out of the house and in the process, hit into a hot pot of porridge which burnt her, hence the injuries found on her.
He said his wife never assaulted the victim, adding that Janet sustained nail injuries when cutting vegetables.
On her part, Lulembo explained that Janet, who was taken in so that she could help look after the twins, was being kept her like her own child.
But in his judgement, the court said the couple’s defence cannot be believed because it was an afterthought.
The judge said the injuries on Janet were systematically inflicted overtime, indication that there was malice aforethought
Earlier in mitigation, defence lawyers pleaded for a lesser sentence considering extenuating circumstances.
“The now convicted persons have never been in conflict with the law. They are regular church goers from the Seventh Day Adventist Church, they help out other members of society,” another lawyer said.
(Mwebantu, Tuesday, 1st April, 2025)
