A CHIVHU man who had been found guilty of disorderly conduct by a magistrate sighed in relief after the High Court overturned the conviction.
Darlington Manjokota (31) had initially filed a case against the police for brutality after they unleashed a dog on him for unclear reasons.
Manjokota appeared at the Chivhu Magistrates Court in September last year where he was convicted for disorderly conduct.
He was ordered to pay a fine of $20 000 or face imprisonment for three months.
He was, however, acquitted of the offence by judges Justices Benjamin Chikowero and Happias Zhou after he filed an appeal through his lawyer, Tinashe Chinopfukutwa of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
In his appeal, Manjokota claimed that magistrate Henry Sande erred and misdirected himself in convicting him when there was insufficient and reliable evidence proving his guilt.
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Manjokota had filed a civil claim for damages against a Chivhu police officer identified as Taurayi Ruzive and his accomplices after they set a police dog on him sometime in October 2021.
The police officers then took Manjokota to Chivhu General Hospital.
Ruzive gave Manjokota US$3 and a bottle of Betadine antiseptic solution to buy his silence.