On Wednesday The End Time Message leader Robert Martin Gumbura’s prison sentences were reduced by half.
Gumbura was arrested in 2014 for four accounts of rape and one account for illegally possessing pornographic material is now happy after his 40-year sentences were reduced by the High Court to 20 years.
The High Court judges, Justice Felistus Chatukuta and Justice Pisirayi Kwenda lessen Gumbura’s prison sentence in half pointing that the original decision by the Magistrates’Court was outrageous and unjust.
Gumbura has already served half of his prison sentence taking into account the one-third remission.
However, Gumbura’s defence team comprising Professor Lovemore Madhuku and Advocate Sylvester is not satisfied with the decision and they are now seeking to approach the Supreme Court to appeal the ruling.
He was resentful by the court’s decision and appealed against both the conviction and the sentence at the High Court.
This made the High Court judge Justice Charles Hungwe and Justice Edith Mushore to get rid of his appeal claiming that Gumbura was wicked and he is a danger to society.
Part of the judgment written by Justice Mushore, with the concurrence of Justice Hungwe reads,
“He is clearly the stuff that nightmares are made of. In my view, the court a quo (lower court) correctly convicted the appellant . . . The appeal against conviction on all counts is dismissed.”
Gumbura then filed another appeal at the High Court in which he argued that the imprisonment term was patently disproportionate.
His lawyers, Professor Madhuku and Advocate Hashiti moved to have the court reduce the jail term to 10 years on each count of rape and the counts to run concurrently which would mean that Gumbura would serve only 10 years in prison. Since he has already served the 10 years, taking into account the one-third remission, the cleric would have been released if the appeal had succeeded.
Justice Chatukuta and Justice Kwenda partially agreed and reduced the Gumbura’s sentence to 20 years.
