Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Blantyre has sentenced a 22-year-old man to five years imprisonment with hard labour for burglary and three years imprisonment with hard labour for theft.
Blantyre Police Station Public Relations Officer Sub-Inspector Augustus Nkhwazi has identified the convict as Blessings Banda who committed the offence on the night of December 16, last year.
Police prosecutor Sub-Inspector Justice Manolo told the court that during that time, the convict was in accompany of ten other unknown criminals when they invaded the house of Mr January Mvula at Baluti in Blantyre.
“The thugs first tied up the watchman who was providing security before breaking into the house. They made away with properties worth MK 900,000.00 which include one plasma TV 32 inches, HP Laptop computer, HP Printer, one Generator, one pressing iron and one Samsung G1 cell phone among others, “the prosecutor told the court.
After the matter was reported to Manase Police Unit, law enforcers undertook an investigation which led to the arrest of the convict on April 30th 2018.
Pleading with the court for a stiff punishment, the prosecutor stated that the convict deserved a hard punishment as he and his ten friends traumatized the owner of the property who was forced to lie down during the robbery. He added that the rest of the criminals are at large as per court’s evidence and that the security guard on that day suffered an abuse as he was tied up and locked in the toilet hence the convict deserved a stiff punishment.
First Grade Magistrate Dianna Mangwana agreed with the prosecutor and sentenced him to 5 years IHL for burglary and three years IHL for which all the sentences will run concurrently.
He hails from Baluti village in the area of traditional authority Nsomba in Blantyre.
