The State said the words used by Harare lawyer Tendai Biti while insulting Ms Tatiana Aleshina are not expected to be used by senior lawyers like him.
In his closing submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Mr. Michael Reda confirmed that Beatty used disrespectful words to describe the victim of the assault.
“He bragged in court that he has over 30 years of experience in the legal field, (and) that he is a reputable lawyer. “He used some of the most disrespectful words to describe the complainant,” Mr Reda said.
“Words that a lawyer of this seniority would not be expected to use.”
He also said that Beattie’s attempt to portray himself as a knight in shining armor backfired spectacularly when he revealed the real reasons for the assault on Ms Aleshina.
He said that Beatty admitted that he was appearing before other courts where he represented his clients who were in conflict with the complainant.
“It’s very clear that he didn’t like her personally because he knew her as someone who stood between his clients and everything his clients hoped to achieve,” Reza said.
He also stated that, during the trial, Biti falsely accused Ms Aleshina of interfering in the appointment of public servants and commissioners to manage the Harare City Council.
“Some of the things she allegedly did dated back to 2002 when there was no evidence she was in Zimbabwe, but the accused blamed her anyway,” the state added.
It was further stated that the three witnesses who testified against Beatty corroborated their testimony, making the State’s case proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Reda said that the fact that Betty failed to produce a single witness shows that he committed the crime.
Beatty denies committing the crime and has contested the assault charge, saying it was unconstitutional.
Biti faces allegations of verbal assault on Ms Aleshina in the Harare Magistrates Court on November 30, 2020.
He is expected to submit his closing submissions on February 2, and the ruling will be issued on February 15.
