Online Reporter
Court Reporters
A 38-YEAR-OLD man has been sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison for stealing valuable items from clinics and hospitals while disguising himself as a disabled patient.
Benjamin Jana Mutambanengwe was convicted on seven counts of unlawful entry and theft by Harare magistrate Mr Michael Mafukidze.
The prosecution, led by Ms Kanchelskis Ropi, presented compelling evidence, including CCTV footage and Mutambanengwe’s own confession, which confirmed his illicit activities.
On September 9 last year, Mutambanengwe gained entry into Health Point Hospital in Harare by disguising himself as a handicapped patient, walking with the aid of crutches.
He accessed a doctor’s office through an open door and stole a ProBook laptop belonging to Dr Emmanuel Masosota, who had secured his office before attending to an emergency.
Upon returning at 5pm, Dr Masosota found the laptop missing.
A review of the CCTV footage showed Mutambanengwe leaving the premises with the stolen device.
In a surprising turn of events, Mutambanengwe returned to Health Point Hospital on October 12 this year, disguised in a cap and holding a newspaper. However, Dr Masosota recognised him from the earlier footage and promptly alerted security, which led to Mutambanengwe’s arrest.
The court also heard about another incident on September 25, where Mutambanengwe targeted Avondale Clinic.
During visiting hours, he pretended to be a visitor and stole a Samsung A13 cellphone that a health worker Ms Mery Marange had left unattended on a table in the reception area.
Ms Marange noticed her phone was missing upon returning to her desk.
Following his arrest on October 12, Mutambanengwe voluntarily confessed to the crimes, detailing how he executed the thefts.
In addition, on October 24 last year, he struck again at Southland Regional Hospital, located at 84 King George Road in Harare.
While pretending to be a visitor, he stole a Nokia G21 cellphone from the reception area, which belonged to complainant Ms Vongai Makotore, who had left her belongings in her office.
Mutambanengwe’s criminal activities did not stop there; he also targeted Corporate 24 Clinic, St. Giles, and several other clinics in Harare, employing similar tactics of posing as a disabled patient or a visitor to steal.
