adminElizabeth Tsuro Midlands Reporter
A 28-YEAR-OLD man who stole goods worth $15 will serve eight months in prison for each dollar’s worth of items he stole, a court ruled yesterday.
Saturday Mutore, of Mkoba Village 11 in Gweru, stole the goods through a window which he broke.
He pleaded guilty to unlawful entry and theft and was jailed for a year by Gweru magistrate, Tayengwa Chibanda.
In passing sentence, Chibanda said a fine would not do justice to the matter.
“Unlawful entry is a very serious offence and these cases are on the rise. You deserve a custodial sentence as any other option like a fine and community service will trivialise your offence,” the magistrate told him.
“You’re sentenced to 18 months imprisonment of which six months is suspended for five years on condition you do not commit a similar offence. Effectively, you will serve 12 months.”
Prosecuting, Lloyd Mavhisa said on May 7 at around 2AM, Mutore went to a house in Ascot Suburb with the intention to steal.
“He broke a bedroom window which was locked, inserted his hand and took a bag, shirt and a jacket worth $15 and went away unnoticed,” he said.
Mavhisa said Mutore was later arrested at around 3AM by members of the public, John Mahachi and Sydney Mambiro, after he was found sitting in a car which was parked inside the yard.
He was taken to the police and was found with the bag, shirt and jacket which the complainant, Arnold Manzini, positively identified as his property.
derick.khumalo