The Sunday Mail
Three criminals who terrorised white commercial farmers in parts of the country were last week each sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment for assaulting and robbing a Banket farmer and his wife.
The trio is also being charged with the murder of three other farmers and one farmer’s daughter.
Bindura magistrate Mr William Bhila convicted Tiriboni Jirimadenga (40), Doesmatter Vhore (35) and Garikai Jimu due to overwhelming evidence.
Jimu is still at large.
According to the State, Jirimadenga, Vhore and Jimu broke into Mr and Mrs David Passaportis’ Marere Farm on the night of August 18 and assaulted the couple with a knobkerrie.
They then bound their victims, and left with US$1 500 as well as shoes worth over US$1 700.
Mrs Passaportis alerted a neighbour, who, in turn, telephoned police.
Investigators tracked Jimu to his home, but he fled to a bush hideout.
He also escaped when detectives swooped on him a second time.
He, however, left a diary in which he recorded all his crimes, and fingerprints on the journal matched those at the crime scene.
Stolen bags and shoes were discovered in Jirimadenga’s garden, while a gun and several stolen items were found in Vhore’s yard.
The criminals were charged with one count of assault.
A count of attempted murder was added to their charge sheet after Mr Passaportis, who sustained a fractured skull during the attack, went into a coma.
The robbers have also been linked to the murder of three farmers – Mr Collin Zietsman, Mr Robert Ervine and Mr Malcolm Francis – and Mr Francis’ daughter, Catherine.
