Police Officer Jailed 4 Years For Assaulting Motorist At Roadblock

A police officer has been jailed for four years for violently assaulting a motorist at a roadblock.

Constable Nosizi Sinyoro, 33, was found guilty by a Bulawayo magistrate. Four other officers who were charged with him were cleared during the trial after successfully applying for discharge.

Prosecutor Samuel Mpofu told the court that Sinyoro and the other officers were at a roadblock at the Nyamandlovu turn-off on the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road on 1 September 2025. They stopped a vehicle driven by Bakhile Nkomo.

After an argument, Sinyoro pulled Nkomo from the car and kicked him hard in the stomach. The assault continued while Nkomo was being driven to Sauerstown Police Station under arrest.

Nkomo started vomiting blood and was admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

In his ruling, the magistrate said the state’s case was strong for three reasons: witnesses pointed to only one of the five officers; there was no reason to falsely blame Sinyoro; and a medical report matched Nkomo’s injuries.

Nkomo told the court that only Sinyoro assaulted him, even though other officers were there. Mudenda said this supported the state’s case.

“If he had lied, he would have falsely implicated all five officers,” the magistrate said.

A second witness, Ryan Ncube, also said Sinyoro was the only officer who carried out the assault.

The magistrate called another police officer, who had been charged but later cleared, a “suspect witness”. The magistrate said the officer was involved in the case and may have tried to protect Sinyoro.

The magistrate also noted that the defence accepted there was physical contact between Sinyoro and Nkomo. However, Sinyoro claimed he was only helping Nkomo out of the car.

When sentencing, the magistrate said Sinyoro had a clean record. But he said this was outweighed by how serious the offence was.

“The offender attacked a defenceless victim in a demeaning manner. Cases of police brutality are on the rise,” he said. “The offender held a position of authority. We expect police officers to protect and not harm civilians. A message has to be sent to the community that no one is above the law.”

He will serve three years, with one year suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.

More: ZimLive

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