The Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court at Midima Limbe Blantyre has sentenced 38-year-old Fred Mukholi to four years in prison for housebreaking and theft.
According to Limbe Police Sub Inspector Chibisa Mulimbika, who serves as the Deputy Spokesperson, the court heard that Mukholi was initially employed as a gardener at a home in Chigumula, Limbe, before later being assigned as a security guard at the same residence.
However, on the 10th of this month, Mukholi used a set of house keys he had stolen to unlock the house and steal various items, including 36 bags of maize, valued at a total of MWK 2.7 million. The theft occurred while the homeowners were away attending prayers.
Upon being informed of the crime, police conducted an investigation that led to Mukholi’s arrest.
When presented in court, Mukholi pleaded guilty to the charges and requested leniency, explaining that he was the sole caretaker of his elderly parents, his wife, and his child, who has a disability.
However, Senior Resident Magistrate Muwalo Maxwell sided with the prosecution, led by Prosecutor Esau Paul Wilson, who argued that the crime warranted a severe punishment. The magistrate subsequently sentenced Mukholi to four years in prison.
Fred Mukholi hails from Sitima Village under Traditional Authority Mchilamwela in Thyolo District
