By SYLVIA  MWEETWA  –
A WOMAN of Kabwe, Central Province has been jailed for three years after she swindled five people on the pretext that she owned a house which was open for rent.
Pascalina Njovu asked for forgiveness from the people she had swindled money from after verdict was passed by Magistrate Mwiinga Simanya in a fully packed courtroom yesterday.
She committed the offence between July 3 and 25, this year and obtained money from Mpanzi Sikoona, Mate Mangashi, Gerald Mwale, Milton Malaya and Harriet Nyirenda.
Njovu also took plea in another court where she appeared facing four counts of obtaining money by false pretences. She admitted to the charges.
She admitted to lying to the five that she owned a house and pleaded for forgiveness.
In mitigation, the convict asked for forgiveness from people she obtained money from and that she had no justification over her actions.
“I am asking for forgiveness from all the people I lied to and I had no justification to do so, I can’t blame anyone,” she said in mitigation.
In passing ruling, Magistrate Simanya said she heard her mitigation but that issues of people losing out money were on the rise and that there was need to put an end to such trickery and send a warning to others with similar intentions.
“Iam sentencing you to three years so that you can spend time in prison to reflect on your actions,” Magistrate Simanya said.
The convict then proceeded to hear her other case before Magistrate Temwaninge M’hango, which she also admitted.