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Senior Court Reporter
A teenageR was yesterday sentenced to three years in jail after admitting to robbing a professional research assistant in the Judicial Service Commission of her Iphone 11 Promax cell phone, using a toy gun.
Brendon Ngwenya (19) was initially sentenced to five years in prison when he appeared before magistrate Mr Ngoni Nduna, who set aside two years of his term on condition of good behaviour.
He admitted to robbing Ms Tanyaradzwa Rachel Muzenda.
In sentencing Ngwenya, the court took into consideration that there was an “abnormal increase in robbery cases and that they must now be treated as serious offenses”.
“The sentence must reflect the seriousness of the offense. He is a first offender and members of the public were sobbing during mitigation. He is still young and he pleaded guilty.
“Property stolen was recovered had they not been recovered, sentence would have been up to seven years.
“The complainant was not physically harmed but the mental trauma cannot be overemphasised,” said Mr Nduna.
On July 8, Ngwenya, armed with a toy gun, went to Sam Levy Shopping Centre, Borrowdale in Harare and waylaid potential victims.
At around 6:30pm, Ms Muzenda drove to Sam Levy Shopping Centre for shopping driving a Toyota Runx.
After shopping, she returned to her car, unlocked her it, got inside, but did not lock all the doors.
When she was about to drive off, Ngwenya opened the rear left passenger’s door and jumped inside.
He produced the toy gun and pointed at Ms Muzenda and threatened to shoot her. Ngwenya then went on to demand her Iphone 11 Promax, which was placed between the front seats and she surrendered it to him.
He then returned the cellphone to her and ordered her to remove the phone’s passwords and she complied.
Ngwenya ordered Ms Muzenda to drive from Sam Levy Shopping Centre to Pomona Shopping Centre, which is on the opposite side of the road. On the following day, Ms Muzenda picked Ngwenya’s phone on the passenger’s seat when she was preparing to go to Borrowdale Police Station to make a report.
Detectives made investigations and nabbed Ngwenya at his place of residence.
Online Reporter