The Blantyre Central Senior Resident Magistrates Court Thursday commenced hearing a case in which a Machinjiri Township-based couple is accused of abusing a four-year-old child.
The two were brought before magistrate Euphrasia Nazombe, where the State charged them with three counts.
Director of Criminal Litigation in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Josephine Kumitengo Gwaza, told the court that two additional charges had been added to the first accused, the wife, Linda Chitala, who was initially charged with acts intended to cause grievous harm.
Both are now facing charges of neglecting to provide necessities for their child and failing to take the child to the hospital.
Chitala is the child’s stepmother.
Chief Legal Aid Advocate at the Legal Aid Bureau, Humphrey Panyanja, asked the court to adjourn the matter, saying that they were not ready as they had only received the case files a day before the hearing.
Gwaza said they were ready for prosecution, having set eight people to testify.
Nazombe has since reserved her ruling on the bail application by the accused to today.
Sympathisers from Ndirande and Machinjiri gathered at the court in solidarity with the victim.
The case came to light when pictures of the young girl, showing bruises all over her body, started circulating on social media.
The husband, who is the first accused, had separated from his first wife, the mother of the girl.
The stepmother is alleged to have abused the girl by beating her and denying her food.
Neighbours reported the matter to the police, who arrested her before apprehending the husband.
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