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Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
A 25-year-old Kwekwe man has been sentenced to five months in prison for stealing goods from his mother’s tuck-shop.
Innocent Mawere of W678 Amaveni will spend four months behind bars after Kwekwe magistrate Miss Vimbai Mtukwa suspended one month on condition of good behaviour.
In passing judgment, Miss Mtukwa considered that Mawere was unrepentant as he was performing community service for another offence.
“You are unrepentant hence you deserve a custodial sentence that is prohibitive enough. If you spend some time behind bars you might change your behaviour,” she said.
The State led by Mr Christian Gatsi proved that on 2 May this year at about 11am, Mawere proceeded to Open Space Tuckshop owned by his mother, Mrs Dudzai Mawere.
When he noticed that his mother was not at the shop, Mawere told the shop attendant that he wanted to take “something” from the shop.
He went on to take $5 cash, 10 Buddie airtime vouchers, seven packs of 20 Madison cigarettes and two bottles of 2 litres cooking oil before he left.
The shop attendant went on to report the matter to the shop owner who in turn reported the matter to the police leading to his arrest.
Nothing was recovered from the property valued at $42.
Meanwhile, a 19-year-old Kwekwe teenager has been sentenced to 21 months behind bars after he was found guilty on 10 counts of unlawful entry and theft.
Kwekwe magistrate Mr Livard Philemon sentenced Persuance Madhira of Village Sithathutha under Chief Njelele in Gokwe to 21 months behind bars.
Mr Philemon, however, set aside six months on condition of good behaviour.
Madhira was already serving a 10-month jail sentence after he was convicted of a separate theft charge.
Madhira terrorised Kwekwe residents where he targeted mostly car batteries and other vehicle accessories like jacks and wheel-spanners. On the count that led to his arrest, sometime in April this year, Madhira went to Innocent Nyambiya’s house at Number 767A Mbizo Section 5 and scaled the security fence.
The court heard that Madhira went on to take two 12 volts Exide batteries that were fitted on a Mitsubishi Fusho that was parked outside and went away without being noticed. On 16 April, police detectives, acting on a tip off, besieged Madhira’s rented apartment in Mbizo 15 where the stolen property was recovered.
Property recovered included car batteries, blankets, wheel spanners, car jacks and other vehicle accessories.
Property recovered is valued at about $1 700.
Mr Gatsi represented the State.
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