A football referee has been given a four-year jail term for breaking into a lodge in Karonga and stealing money.
According to State Prosecutor Sub-Inspector Brenda Livason, the convict, Masauko Mwambiyale, broke into a dwelling house of John Kalasho and Aunt Mwiza Lodge with an intention to steal.
It has been reported that Mwambiyale stole K72 000 before being arrested by the law enforcers who charged him with burglary and theft contrary to penal code’s section 309 and 278 respectively. The money was also recovered.
During the hearing, the convict pleaded not guilty to the charges, forcing the State to parade three witnesses who testified against him.
After being satisfied with the evidence, Senior Resident Magistrate Mateo Fatsani Chitha found the convict guilty and slapped him with a four-year jail term.
Mwambiyale, who pleaded for a lenient sentence, was turned down by the Magistrate who told him that the maximum sentence for his crime is life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the recovered money has been returned to the complainant.
The defendant hails from Mwanyesha Village in the area of Traditional Authority Kyungu in the same district.
