Brilliant Mukaro
BIKITA – Magistrate Caroline Tafira recently slapped a man from Zvimba with 23 months in prison for unlawful entry as defined in Section 131(2) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Gracious Mele (34) from Chibaya village, Chief Chirau, is employed by the Public Service Commission (PSC) as a kitchen attendant and is currently residing at House Number 153 Duma, Nyika.
He pleaded guilty to all the three charges that he faced.
In the first count, it was the State’s case, as presented by Japhet Mapakame, that on a date unknown to the prosecutor but during the period extending from January to march this year at PSC Bikita Institute of Training and Manpower Development, Mele entered the storeroom using a duplicate key and stole 14 two-in-one blankets belonging to the PSC.
The supervisor, Beaullah Matsine received a tipoff from a member of the public that the accused was selling blankets and she responded by doing an audit of the hostels bedding.
She then discovered that the property was missing and she made a report to the police leading to investigations, the arrest and recovery of 13 of the blankets.
The total value of stolen property was put at US$560 but US$520 was recovered.
He was sentenced to 12 months in prison and 3 months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
On count two, it was the State’s case that on a date unknown to the prosecutor but over the same period, Mele took two fire extinguishers from the verandah and the kitchen room. The extinguishers, valued at US260, were not recovered.
He was slept with seven months imprisonment with an option to pay a fine of US$400. He was further slept with three more months behind bars but wholly suspended on condition that he restituted the complainant.local
