By Own Correspondent| The Kadoma based Zanu Pf stalwart who was captured on camera assaulting Mr Pedzisai Mangisi of Chief Nemangwe area in Gokwe South for stealing gold, told the court that he suffered psychological trauma from the media backlash.

Litten Chikoore (35) said the local, regional and international condemnation that the 45 second video where he was assaulting his “thief” traumatised him hence the court should be lenient with him as he was already paying the price for his action.

The story, which was exclusively and extensively run by ZimEye leading to his arrest saw Chikoore of Waverley being convicted by Kadoma magistrate Takudzwa Gwazemba after he pleaded guilty to the charge.

He was remanded out of custody to April 10 for sentencing.

Gwazemba however remanded Chikoore out of custody claiming that he was a suitable candidate to be remanded out of custody as he had handed himself to the police in the company of his lawyer Ignatius Murambasvina of Murambasvina Legal Practice.

Prosecutor Gracious Chaminuka told the court that Chikoore assaulted Mangisi of Chief Nemangwe area in Gokwe South several times all over the body with a baton stick on an unknown date sometime in November last year at his mine in Kadoma.

She said Mangisi sustained serious injuries following the assault and a medical report was produced in court as an exhibit. Chaminuka said Chikoore deserved a custodial sentence as he was a potential criminal with previous three cases at the court which were all withdrawn before trial.

The cases included a 2014 attempted murder case under CRB number 12/06, pretending to be a policeman under CRB number 12/08 and allegedly contravening the Mines and Mining Act in 2016.

Murambasvina, however, pleaded with the court to give Chikoore a non-custodial sentence arguing that he was a first offender who had co-operated with the police when he handed himself and assisted them to locate the complainant.

He also said Chikoore was the sole breadwinner for his two wives and six children and the complainant did not suffer serious injuries as shown by the medical report.

Murambasvina said his client first handed Mangisi to the police after discovering that he had stolen 400 grammes of gold from him but they were advised to have an out of court settlement which infuriated him leading to him assaulting the complainant.

He further argued that Chikoore had already suffered psychological trauma as the matter had received too much attention on social, local and international media.