Cephas Shava
MWENEZI – A form two Mushonganeburi Secondary School pupil was convicted for burning down property worth US$1 113 but magistrate Honest Musiiwa set aside his eight month prison sentence.
The seventeen-year-old, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, but comes from Chikandiwa village under Chief Mawarire, was convicted on his own plea of guilty.
The court found that the boy negligently caused serious damage to property of a fellow villager while playing with fire.
Musiiwa strongly warned the boy against committing such offences and pointed out that had it not been that the property was mistakenly burnt and that the convict was still going to school, a custodial sentence could have been imposed.
Representing the State, Angelinah Makonya told the court that sometime in October last year, the juvenile arrived at Innocent Chidyamakono’s place where he found a 10-year-old boy holding a box of matches as he wanted to make a fire.
He took the matches and started to play with it by lighting the match sticks and throwing them into the air. As he played, a match stick landed on a thatched bedroom hut and the house immediately caught fire.
The fire spread to the other kitchen hut at the same homestead leading to the destruction of property worth US$1 113 and nothing was recovered.
A police report was made leading to the juvenile’s arrest.local
