Forest Offender Gets 15-Month Sentence in Mwanza Court
Published on April 11, 2025 at 12:02 PM by Evance Kapito
The Mwanza First Grade Magistrate Court has sentenced 42-year-old Jackson Rabson to 15 months imprisonment after convicting him on charges of illegal tree cutting and transportation of forestry equipment in a protected area without authorization.
Rabson was arrested by forest rangers who caught him in the act of committing the offense. When appearing before the court, the accused pleaded guilty to the charges.
State prosecutor Anord Phiri told the court that Rabson’s actions violated Section 71(1) of the Forestry Act of 1997, which governs protected forest areas.
The convict hails from Golowa Village in Traditional Authority Nthache in Mwanza District.
The sentencing serves as a warning against the increasing cases of illegal logging activities in the country’s protected forest reserves.
