NAN-H-31
Theft
By Ugochi Ugochukwu
Abuja, Jan. 31, 2018 (NAN) A Karmo Grade 1 Area Court in Abuja on Wednesday sentenced a 25-year-old man, Avisiqh Solomon, to three months imprisonment for stealing an Infinix phone valued at N20,000.
Solomon, whose address was not provided, had on arraignment pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing and begged for leniency.
The Area Court judge, Abubakar Sadiq, however, gave the convict an option of N5,000 fine and warned him to desist from commission of further crime.
Sadiq also ordered the convict to pay N20, 000 as compensation to the nominal complainant, one Helen Godwin.
Prosecuting counsel, Mrs Florence Auhioboh, had told the court that the convict committed the offence at about 3: 10 pm on Jan. 22 at Jabi in Abuja.
Auhioboh said that Godwin, a resident of No. 62, Ajose Adeogun Crescent, Jabi, Abuja, reported the matter at Utako police station on Jan. 26, adding that this led to the arrest of the convict.
The complainant, according to the prosecutor, on Jan. 22 kept her phone on the table in her shop and was busy attending to other customers when the convict, who also posed as a customer, surreptitiously stole it.
She said that the convict fled the scene after the act but was arrested on Jan. 26.
Auhioboh added that the convict admitted stealing the phone during police interrogation and all efforts made to recover it proved abortive.
She said that the offence contravened section 288 of the Penal Code. (NAN)
UGO/AOS/OJO
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(Edited by Bayo Sekoni/Mufutau Ojo)