Fishery Concession Owner Accused of Theft and Data Tampering Claims Malice in Arrest and Prosecution
BUSINESSMAN William Terrence Kelly who owns a fishery concession in the Zambezi Valley and is accused of illegally entering another conservancy and stealing motion cameras and deleting data believes there is malice in his arrest and prosecution as the matter was initially declined at Guruve magistrates court.
It is alleged that he illegally entered an estate owned by Big Five safaris and stole the camera which monitored movements where professional hunter Clifton Walker with the help of national parks officials had set bait for hunting.
His lawyer Everson Chatambudza while cross examining a witness Charles Kanda averred that the matter had been declined but was resuscitated with police officers from Harare being flown to Kanyemba by a plane from his rivals, Big Five.
He also averred that his client was arrested at night and transported to the police station in a boat owned by Big Five and taken through a dangerous Mapata gorge despite it not being allowed to sail in the Zambezi River at night.
Kanda said he was not aware of the claims but the defence insisted he was part of everything.
It is also their case that witnesses in the matter including Kanda who is listed as a complainant in one of the counts were being sponsored by Big Five to come to court and also their stay in Harare.
The defence also argued that Kelly was in his estate which was given to him by Parks authorities in terms of a lease agreement signed in 2017.
It is his argument that Big Five’s lease expired in 2021 and according to a clause in the lease it was not to be renewed.
Kelly argues that he has on several occasions complained to parks authorities about poaching happening in the area which is a no hunting zone and he picked the camera at the prohibited scene.
He said his conduct is not consistent with someone stealing the camera as he alerted officials of the camera and took it to parks officials who refused to take it before taking it to the police.
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