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Issue 137 路 Wednesday, April 24, 2002
WIN!
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UEA'S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER
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FREE
ALL EXPENSES DATE WITH NEIGHBOURS' DAN MACPHERSON AND JONATHAN WILKES PLUS ALL EXPENSES DAY OF CELEBRITY FUN
SEE PAGE 5 OF THE EVENT TO ENTER
Student allowed to continue studies after being found guilty for indecently assaulting young boy in campus bar
REBECCA LAWRENCE Chief News Reporter
A POST-GRADUATE student has escaped jail after being found guilty of indecently assaulting a young boy . Steven Peter Makwinja, 37, who is studying in Environmenta l Sciences admi tted t o t ouch ing a ch ild's leg while drinking in one of UEA's bars last October. Norwich Crown Court heard how Makwinja was spotted putting his hand down the shorts of a tenyear-old boy. But the student's defence, Guy Ayers claimed that Makwinja had in itia lly rubbed the boy because he was cold and shivery and wanted to warm hi m up. The inci dent progressed and Makwin ja did touch the boy in wh at were described as " circ umstances of 1ndecenc y." Judge Pau l Downes too k t he
decision not to give Makwinja a custod ial sentence- claiming th at he should continue his studies . But he insisted that the stude nt , who is married, would face disciplinary action from UEA officials at a later date. Makwinja was ordered to do 100 hours of community work and stay indoors at his home in Duke Street, Norwich , between the hours of ?pm and 6am every night for t wo months. He has also been placed on the sex offenders' register for five years. The court was told that Makwinja was generally a man of good character and that the offence had marred his record . But students who have childre n are concerned that a sex offender is studying on campus. Worried mum Viola Magunda m, said, "The case does worry me as chi ldren really need protection from such people. As a parent , I feel th e Universi ty should have made us aware. "The ch ildren pl ay outside a lot so you never know what may hap-
pen . I wil l definitely keep a watchful eye over my children ." The mother, who has three children on campus, added that the crime should not be held against the student for the rest of his life . " If he is showing remorse , he should be forgiven ." And fathe r-of-two Mahmoud Touny al so ca lls for Makwinja to be remove d from campus . " People convicted of these cri mes shouldn 't be allowed on campus." But a mother of a 6-year-old child defended the student being able to carry on his studies at this univers ity. " I trust th e judge's deci sion t hat t he man is safe to be in soci ety. UEA is an open cam pus and anyone can walk on in who could be a danger, so why shouldn 't thi s st udent be allowed to cont inue his st udies?" And a spokesperson for UEA's nursery urges parents not to pan1c . "We have a very full security system so the situation wi ll not affect us."
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