Police officer jailed for brutal assault on motorist
Officer kicked and punched motorist until he vomited blood
Black News 
Nosizi SinyoroBULAWAYO — A police officer has been jailed for four years for the violent assault of a motorist at a roadblock, with a Bulawayo magistrate warning that courts would take a firm stance against police brutality.
Constable Nosizi Sinyoro, 33, was convicted by magistrate Courage Mudenda following a trial in which four colleagues initially charged alongside him were acquitted after successfully applying for discharge.
Sinyoro and the other officers were manning a roadblock at the Nyamandlovu turn-off along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road on September 1 last year when they stopped a vehicle driven by Bakhile Nkomo.
Following an exchange of words, Sinyoro pulled Nkomo from the vehicle and kicked him violently in the stomach. The assault continued as Nkomo was being driven to Sauerstown Police Station under arrest, the court heard.
Prosecutor Samuel Mpofu said Nkomo began vomiting blood and was admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
In convicting Sinyoro, Mudenda said the court had found the state case compelling for three reasons: witnesses implicated one officer out of five; there was no apparent motive to single out Sinyoro falsely; and a medical affidavit was consistent with the injuries sustained.
Nkomo testified that only Sinyoro had assaulted him despite the presence of the other officers, a detail Mudenda said bolstered the state case.
“If he had lied, he would have falsely implicated all five officers,” the magistrate said. A second witness, Ryan Ncube, also identified Sinyoro as the sole assailant.
Mudenda described a police officer who had been jointly charged – and later acquitted – as a “suspect witness” given his involvement in the matter, noting he may have sought to protect Sinyoro.
The magistrate further noted that the defence had acknowledged physical contact between Sinyoro and Nkomo, though Sinyoro claimed he was merely helping Nkomo out of the vehicle.
In sentencing, Mudenda acknowledged Sinyoro’s clean record but said mitigating factors were outweighed by the gravity of the offence.
“The offender attacked a defenceless victim in a demeaning manner. Cases of police brutality are on the rise,” he said. “The offender held a position of authority. We expect police officers to protect and not harm civilians. A message has to be sent to the community that no-one is above the law.”
One year of the four-year sentence was conditionally suspended.
