Vagrant in court for attempted murder

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A BULAWAYO vagrant has been accused of poisoning a city woman after he gave her a poisonous substance on the pretext that it was sugar.

A BULAWAYO vagrant has been accused of poisoning a city woman after he gave her a poisonous substance on the pretext that it was sugar.

Richard Muponde Senior Court Reporter

Albert Ncube, of no fixed abode, was not formally charged with attempted murder when he briefly appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Sibongile Msipa on Wednesday.

He was remanded in custody to November 28 and advised to apply to the High Court for bail.

Initially, he was charged with poisoning another person, but the charge was later changed to attempted murder after the State applied for the change of the charge.

“The State applies for the charge to be changed to attempted murder,” said prosecutor Danmore Kasenza.

The magistrate then granted the application in her ruling.

“Application granted; accused to face a charge of attempted murder and be advised to apply to the High Court for bail,” she ruled.

Charges against Ncube are that sometime in September this year, the complainant, Nomalanga Moyo, approached him at the Bulawayo Market.

Ncube was holding a yellowish substance.

Moyo asked him what it was and he allegedly advised her that it was sugar.

She then asked him to give him the sugar and he gave her.

The complainant took the substance to her house.

On October 3, she prepared tea and put the yellowish substance and drank it.

However, after drinking the tea she started suffering from severe stomach pains and she was rushed to hospital where she was treated and discharged.

A police report was made leading to Ncube’s arrest.