Lusaka | January 23, 2026 – The state closed its case in the John Nundwe trial yesterday with a final witness whose testimony aimed to dismantle deep-seated societal myths about sexual assault victims. Dr. Naeem Dalal, a mental health specialist, provided the court with a scientific explanation for a victim’s potential lack of physical resistance, a point often scrutinised in such cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Dalal informed the court that the common assumption that a victim will always fight back is medically unfounded. He detailed the three instinctive, biological responses to extreme trauma: fight, flight, or freeze. His testimony focused extensively on the freeze response, describing a specific phenomenon known as tonic immobility. This involuntary state, he explained, is a primal survival mechanism where the body becomes paralyzed, essentially playing dead in the face of an overwhelming threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The psychiatrist further clarified that this frozen state can impact a victim’s memory of the traumatic event and may result in a lack of visible physical injury, which often contradicts public expectation. This expert context is considered crucial for the court’s understanding as it evaluates the evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The prosecution, having presented ten witnesses since the trial began in July 2024, formally rested its case following this testimony. The matter is now adjourned for a pivotal ruling. The magistrate must determine if the state has presented sufficient evidence to establish a prima facie case, meaning whether the proof is strong enough to legally require John Nundwe to present a defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The National Prosecution Authority reaffirmed its commitment to prosecuting gender-based violence with a modern understanding of victim trauma, combining factual evidence with expert psychological insight. The nation now awaits the court’s next decision, which will dictate whether the trial proceeds to a defence or concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Lusaka | January 23, 2026 – The state closed its case in the John Nundwe trial yesterday with a final witness whose testimony aimed to dismantle deep-seated societal myths about sexual assault victims. Dr. Naeem Dalal, a mental health specialist, provided the court with a scientific explanation for a victim’s potential lack of physical resistance, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":5600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"class_list":["post-5599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n