Mangochi First Grade Magistrate court has  convicted and sentenced  a 32 year-old man to 10 months imprisonment with hard labour (IHL) for cheating, and theft contrary to sections 271 and 278, respectively, of the Penal Code.

State Prosecutor, Sub Inspector Maston Chitsonga identified the convict as Jafali Muhamed.

Chitsonga told the court that on March 4, 2023 at Kwisimba Village, Muhamed fraudulently obtained a Huawei cellphone valued at K75, 000 from his in-law, Duwana Mustafa, by tricking her.

Appearing before First Grade Magistrate Roy Kakutu, Muhamed pleaded not guilty to the two counts leveled against him which prompted the state to bring in witnesses to prove beyond reasonable doubt.

In mitigation, Muhamed asked for the court’s leniency on grounds that he is a first offender and a bread winner to his wife.

In his submission Sub Inspector Chitsonga asked for a custodial sentence for Muhamed in order to teach him a lesson and deter would be offenders.

Passing judgment, First Grade Magistrate Kakutu said Muhamed is a right candidate for custodial sentence for the offences he committed.

Jafali Muhamed hails from Kwisimba Village in the area of Tradition Authority (TA) Katuli in Mangochi district.