Court Hears How Man Caught in Married Woman’s Bedroom Was Allegedly Beaten

The Lusaka Magistrate’s Court in Zambia has heard dramatic testimony in a case where a man accused of assaulting a married man claims he was, in fact, the one who was beaten.

Dickson Musopelo, 35, a physicist, is charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm after allegedly punching an army officer who reportedly caught him inside his matrimonial bedroom with his wife on September 26, 2025.

The case is being heard before Magistrate Victoria Mututwa, who earlier found that Musopelo had a case to answer and placed him on his defence.

According to court proceedings, the alleged victim  referred to as Mr Chisha (a pseudonym)  is said to have found Musopelo in his bedroom after 22:00 hours. It is alleged that the wife asked Musopelo to hide in a wardrobe when her husband unexpectedly entered the house. Following an altercation, Musopelo, who was reportedly half-dressed, allegedly punched Mr Chisha, causing injury.

However, in his defence, Musopelo told the court a different version of events through his witnesses.

His sister, Martha Musopelo, 39, of Kamwala South, testified that on September 27, 2025, her brother came to her home bleeding, with bruises on his left eye and two broken teeth. She told the court she rushed him to Kabwata Police to obtain a medical report before taking him to the University Teaching Hospitals (UTH) for treatment.

Under cross-examination by State prosecutor Georgina Daka, Martha admitted that the medical report described her brother as “stable” and did not indicate active bleeding at the time of examination. She also conceded that she was not present during the alleged incident on September 26 and could not state what transpired that night.

A medical doctor, Sithokozile Nandazi, also testified that she attended to Musopelo at the casualty department in September 2025. She told the court that he complained of jaw pain, difficulty swallowing, nausea, and had sustained two broken teeth, a laceration above the eye, and bruising on the neck.

According to the doctor, Musopelo reported that he had been struck and briefly lost consciousness after the husband allegedly attempted to beat him and tried to strangle him.

During cross-examination, Dr Nandazi admitted she did not conduct a specific examination on the broken teeth and had not presented photographs or physical evidence of them before the court. She further acknowledged that the injuries could have been caused by another person or self-inflicted. She also confirmed that Musopelo was stable and not bleeding at the time she examined him.

Judgment in the matter is expected to be delivered on Friday.