A 31-year old man has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment with hard labour for allegedly selling fried dog meat in Balaka.

Ishmael Jumbe was arrested last week at Njerenje Trading Centre after being found selling fried dog meet kanyenya.

Police Prosecutor Constable Kester Mame told the Balaka Second Grade Magistrate court that the suspect was arrested after a child to his neighbor revealed to have seen him skinning a dog at night time but when asked of what he has done with the meat; Ishmael confessed to have cooked it and sold it as mang’ina.

Jumbe also confessed that he started the business long time ago when he was staying in Mbayani Blantyre.

In mitigation, Ishmael asked for forgiveness saying he has a wife and three children to look after and that the people who eat the meat had already forgiven him.

Delivering his ruling, Second Grade Magistrate Victor Sibu said the convict was supposed to know his responsibility before committing this crime.

Sibu then sentenced the convict to12 months’ imprisonment with hard labour.

The Second Grade Magistrate said he has slapped him with such a sentence so that it should be a lesson to him and would be offenders.

Ishmael Jumbe comes from Kangaude village, Traditional Authority Nkaya in Balaka.