DRAMA AT POLICE STATION

Government has ordered owner of the five vicious dogs that savagely bit his watchman to compensate the victim.

Minister of Labour, Mr.Yunus Mussa, said this on Friday when he went to meet Mr. Dean van Scaval in police custody in Lilongwe.

Meanwhile, police say they will take Mr. Schalhwal as soon as police investigations are over.

Mr. Dean Parnell Van Schalhwal, aged forty six, is answering two charges.

The first charge leveled against Mr. Schalhwalis reckless and negligent act endangering human life, contrary to Section 246 of the Penal Code.

The second charge that the accused is answering is conduct likely to cause breach of peace at a public place, following allegations that her forced some health workers at Kamuzu Central Hospital to have Mr. Sephas Chimdima tested for HIV.

This, the court heard, was meant to determine whether or not dogs of the accused had contracted HIV from the victim.

Mr. Schalhwal pleaded not guilty to the two charges.

The state prosecutors, Happy Mkandawire and Fatuma Silungwe told the        court not to grant the accused bail.

They said there had just brought the accused before the court to fulfill the constitutional requirements of not keeping suspects in custody not more than forty eight hours.

But why is the state against granting of the bail?

The state prosecutors, Fatuma Silungwe and Happy Mkandawire explain.

On the other hand, lawyer of the accused, Mr. George Mwale said that Mr. Scaval was equally concerned with the condition of the Mr. Chimdima; hence he cannot provide support to him while in police custody.

So after hearing the pros and cons of the two sides, Chief Resident Magistrate  Chifundo Kachale,  threw out bail application, saying that the reasons advanced by the state are valid.

He said that the state was right that the case has generated a lot of interest and that the security of the accused would be compromised if released on bail.

The case will continue on Monday next week.