The defence in the murder trial of medical doctor Victoria Bobe yesterday challenged the State’s video evidence, alleging the accused were threatened, assaulted and improperly recorded during police demonstrations.
During cross-examination of State witness Assistant Superintendent Christopher Pangeti, defence lawyer Michael Goba Chipeta questioned whether the demonstrations shown in the video were conducted under fear of further torture.
on Tuesday. | Nation
Chipeta alleged that the accused were threatened with firearms and assaulted before and after the demonstrations and that they had not given written consent to be recorded.
He further claimed that police took first accused Charles Chikafa to the crime scene before the demonstrations and instructed him on whom to implicate.
“He was pressured to implicate others according to the defence case. Are you aware about that?” Chipeta asked.
Pangeti told the court he was not aware of the allegation.
Chipeta also alleged that Chikafa had been instructed to identify co-accused Rafic Abdul Hassan as the person carrying a firearm during the incident. Pangeti denied the claim.
The defence further argued that the video tendered by the State did not show whether the suspects had been cautioned before the demonstrations or whether they had been briefed, threatened or intimidated before making the statements captured on camera.
Chipeta also produced videos downloaded from links published by Zodiak Online, which he said showed Pangeti interrogating some of the suspects.
He pointed out that Pangeti was wearing different clothes in one of those recordings from those seen in the video previously tendered by the State, arguing that both recordings should have been produced to enable the court to fully assess the circumstances surrounding the demonstrations.
In response, Pangeti acknowledged that there had been two separate demonstrations and said the videos related to different occasions.
However, he told the court that police had not recorded the video relied upon by the defence and that he only became aware of it when it was produced during the trial.
Proceedings were briefly interrupted following a tense exchange between Chipeta and Pangeti.
High Court Judge Ruth Chinangwa intervened, urging calm, saying: “Can we lower our emotions?”
State prosecutor Abdul Limbe also appealed to Chipeta not to take the matter personally because “it is a profession”.
During the exchange, some of Bobe’s relatives, particularly women, broke down in tears.
Victoria Bobe was fatally shot during a robbery at her home in Blantyre on November 17 2025. Seven suspects have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, robbery and burglary.
