Mzuzu Senior Resident Magistrate Court Thursday sentenced a form 2 student, Blessings Kagomo, 20 to six years’ imprisonment with hard labour (IHL) for burglary and theft.
Police Prosecutor, Alex Bwanausi told the Court that Kagomo on March 25, 2022 broke and entered the house of Happy Banda at Mapale Township in Mzuzu City and stole an HP laptop computer, three mobile phones and two electrical hand planes all valued at K880, 000.00.
“He was later found at Masasa Township within the city where he was apprehended and taken to Mzuzu Police Station with recovered items for further investigation and he was charged with burglary and theft offences which are contrary to Section 309 (2) and Section 278 of the Penal Code respectively,” Bwanausi said.
In mitigation, he asked the court for leniency, saying he was still young and it was his first time to commit such an offense besides being a sole bread earner for his family and his dependents would suffer severely should he be given lengthy jail term.
Senior Resident Magistrate, Abdul Maulidi said the court sometimes take into account issues such as Kagomo’s plea of guilty, value of property age and how frequent the convict has been committing similar offences to determine its final verdict.
Kagomo hails from Light Village in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Bvumbwe in Thyolo District.
