Twin Palm School Pupils Acquitted For The Murder Of Ryan Phiri

Lusaka High Court judge Sharon Newa has acquitted four Twin Palm Secondary School pupils who were accused of killing a Kabulonga Boys’ Secondary School pupil Ryan Phiri last year.

Reports are that, Judge Newa set the four pupils at liberty because there was no evidence linking them to the murder offence.

Elvis Nsokolo, 19, who was at the time a head boy at Twin Palm Secondary, was jointly charged with three juveniles from the same school for the alleged murder of Phiri.

The incident happened on December 4 after pupils from Twin Palm and Kabulonga Boys’ clashed. Ryan, 17, was a grade 12 pupil at Kabulonga Boys’.Judge Newa in her judgement said there was nothing linking Elvis to the assault of the deceased which led to his death while the other three juveniles were not mentioned as having participated in the beatings apart from the testimony from the police.

She said the deceased was unconscious at the time his parents alleged that he told them that Elvis was one of the persons who beat him during the clash. Judge Newa said no reasonable tribunal could convict anyone based on the evidence adduced in the matter and she acquitted all the accused persons forthwith.

During trial, Ryan’s parents testified that their child told them that Elvis was one of the persons that attacked him. But the court has dismissed that piece of evidence, saying the deceased was unconscious.