Court fines Bad Black for reckless driving

By Damali Kisakye & Andrew Ssenyonga

Shanita Namuyimbwa, popularly known as Bad Black, has been fined sh5m by a city court for reckless driving.

City Hall Court Magistrate Juliet Hatanga on Thursday ordered Bad Black to pay a fine after she pleaded guilty of reckless driving and causing bodily injuries to three people of the same family.

She was given two options: either pay the fine, or serve a four-year jail term.

The city socialite, in her defense, has denied ill-motive when she knocked down the victims three years ago, insisting it was drunk driving.

The incident happened on December 4, 2011 at Casablanca Pub & Restaurant along Acacia Avenue while Bad Black drove a Mercedes Benz.

The victims are: Ismail Nsamba, Fatuma Namusoke and their daughter, Jamila Namulindwa.

Magistrate Hatanga, while delivering judgment, said: “As court this is the appropriate sentence that we are giving to the accused due to her reckless behavior.”

Prosecution, Hatanga said, had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Bad Black indeed drove carelessly, without reasonable consideration for other road users, knocked a motorcycle, injuring its passengers and damaging the machine.

On the four crime counts, the accused is to pay sh600, 000 for reckless driving or face one year behind bars.

On the second and third counts, she is to pay a fine of sh2.4m or serve a jail term of one year imprisonment. Then on the fourth count, she is to pay sh2m or be locked up in jail for one year.

Bad Black’s lawyer Abbey Kahura said his client would pay the fine instead of serving custodial sentence in Luzira prison.

Meanwhile, she is serving a separate jail term after she was convicted of defrauding Daveshan Company of sh11b.