By CHILA NAMAIKO-
A MAN of Choma has been sentenced to four years imprisonment with hard labour for breaking into a shop and stealing assorted groceries valued at more than K1,000.
Choma magistrate Willie Sinyangwe sentenced Comrade Buuya, 28, of Mwapona Township, for breaking into a building and committing a felony.
Buuya, while acting together with unknown people, on March 16, this year, broke into Kiosk Shop belonging to Francis Sekeleti and stole 19 bottles of powder and dozens of Vaseline petroleum jelly.
Other items were 15, pockets of Amazon lollypops, five dozens of glycerine, five packets of sweets and 10 packets of bubble gums which were all valued at K1, 269.
On the material day, Mr Sekeleti locked and secured all items in his shop but the following day, he received information that it was broken into.
Upon arrival at the shop, he found the door opened and goods stolen.
He reported the matter to Choma police station and investigations were instituted leading to recovery of some items and Buuya, who had already sold some of the stolen groceries, was arrested.
In his defence on Thursday, Buuya told the court that he was merely selling the items on behalf of his friend.
Magistrate Sinyangwe, however, said he was satisfied that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt on Buuya’s case and found him guilty of the charge.
“I sentence you to four years imprisonment with hard labour, I have a duty to prevent thievery and to protect shop owners from people who want to hamper the growth of their business,” he said.
Buuya, in his mitigation asked for lenience and forgiveness from the court saying he was not aware that the items he was selling were stolen.
In the same court, a 30 year-old cattle herder of Popota Settlement was found with a case to answer in a matter he was accused of cutting a finger of a nine-year-old girl of the same area.
Mike Mudenda was charged with assault on a Child after he allegedly assaulted a named girl on her way to school on June 18, this year.
Popota Police post inspector Grain Kabunda testified that the juvenile, who led police, the suspect and her father to the scene of her attack, narrated how Mudenda, emerged from the bush, grabbed her hand and cut her finger using a razor blade.
The court set January 15, 2015 as date for Mudenda’s defence.