LAURA MITI’S  SON RELEASED

LAURA MITI’S  SON RELEASED

A couple of weeks ago, my son and his friend found themselves in the Kamanga Police Cells. They were accused of having been found in possession of weed.

As posted before, I got to the police station and a bribe was brazenly asked of me. I was told that the other young man’s family were on their way with their 1500.

I told the officer that I don’t pay bribes and advised him to be careful about asking for them, so openly.

Restrospectively, I realised that  not paying, and therefore preventing the cops from getting money from the other family, if indeed they were willing to pay, upset the officers.

The young men were handed over to the DEC and transferred to Chelston Police Station.

I waited for the matter to advance to court.

Two days later, I was called to pick up him up. He had been released without charge.

DEC investigations found he had been falsely accused.

This was the story:

What had happened was that, while my son and a friend were watching the Nigeria Morrocco AFCON match in a pub, my son had got into a disagreement with a plain clothes police officer.

Long story short, he was soon ganged up on. He was taken outside, beaten up and his waist bag grabbed. A gun was also put to his head.

He and his friend, who did nothing but beg the police to stop beating up his friend, were bundled into a car and taken to Kamanga Police Station.

According to him, it was only then he realised it was cops he had gotten into an altercation with.

At the station, the police showed the two Chamba, in my son’s bag.

While in cells, my son told me this story and said he was being advised to admit guilt. He said he could not, because he was innocent.

I agreed with his decision and told him he would, unfortunately, have to go to court to prove his innocence. I also prepared him for an extended stay, telling him that the charge did not attract bond.

My view was that a guilty plea would give him a criminal record he had not earned.

I would like to mention, as an aside, that, luckily, this particular son does not lie – to me anyway.

He is the kind of chap who would say – Mom the drugs were mine but I am going to deny them. Or – I did smoke but I had no weed on me.

In this instance, something I often say to kids proved right.

It is that –  have someone, friend or family, to whom you are always entirely truthful. If you say you have not done something, I should not start by wondering if you might have, because you are so given to lying.

Back to the tale, as soon as this son said the chamba was not his, I knew it wasn’t. What I could not be sure of, is if it could be proved in court.

As it turned out, the police side of the story did not hold up to scrutiny and the young men were released.

Concerning, for me, was the number of people who came into my inbox relating similar experiences.

It seems some rogue police officers are settling personal issues by use of unbondable drug charges.

They also target Tubana Mayadi, whose parents are understood to be able and willing to pay bribes.

The question here is – how many people have ended up in cells, remand and, maybe, even served sentences, over trumped up charges?

How many families are parting with money, they can’t afford, for the release of their innocent children?