PRINCIPAL Magistrate Musa Nxumalo has warned traffic police against detaining drink-drivers in police cells over the weekend as this posed as double punishment.
The principal magistrate said the police cells were meant for criminal offenders, not offenders of traffic laws who are not even a flight risk.
Nxumalo made these remarks after most of the drink-driving offenders stated that they were from police custody after they were arrested over the weekend.
These were offenders from Siteki, Simunye and Lomahasha police stations.
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Five offenders submitted that they were arrested on Saturday and Sunday, and were detained at the various police stations before they were brought before the court yesterday.
When the arresting officers were asked if this was true, they confirmed to have detained the offender.
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The principal magistrate said traffic law offenders were not criminals, and therefore should not be detained in police cells.
Nxumalo said the court would not allow offenders to be subjected to double punishment. In future, Nxumalo said the court would set the offenders free if they spent the night in police cells.
“Traffic offenders should be warned to come to court on their own,” he said.
In the meantime, all offenders who were from police custody were sentenced to a year in a correctional facility with an option of E1 000 fine, while the others who were from home were fined E5 000 or spend five years in the correctional facility in default of payment.
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