Zenzo Siziba, an armed robber from Lupane shot by police on the buttocks while fleeing a crime scene where he and four accomplices, attempted to rob a bank about five months ago, has been sentenced to 12 years in jail.
Siziba (44) still has the bullet in his posterior as he has not had an opportunity to go for specialist surgery that is needed to remove it.
He appeared before Hwange regional magistrate Collet Ncube who sentenced him to 12 years in jail for armed robbery under aggravating circumstances before suspending two years on condition of good behaviour.
He will serve an effective 10 years in jail.
Siziba and his four accomplices pounced on a security guard at Agribank in Lupane and threatened him with a gun while ordering him to leave the scene.
They used a hammer to break open the banking hall door upon which they blasted a money safe.
The five armed robbers, however, fled from the bank before taking any money after being busted by the police who opened fire and shot Siziba as he and his accomplices fled.
Circumstances are that Isaac Sibanda, who was on duty guarding the bank, heard the alarm system and, upon checking, saw the armed robbers near the door.
The suspects produced a gun pointed it at Sibanda and ordered him to leave the scene, he ran away and later phoned the bank manager who alerted the police.
Before the robbers could take any money, police arrived and fired three warning shots into the air.
The suspects fled from the bank and police shot Siziba before arresting him.
From Siziba, police recovered a satchel with two computer hard drives, three used capped fuses, one dynamite, a screwdriver, a hammer and a shifting spanner.
The hard drives had been stolen from the bank.
