The Mangochi Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court on Friday sentenced Gift Chidule, 35, and 45-year-old Felix Divason Banda to 21-years imprisonment with hard labour each for attacking a Rwandan businessman in his house and stealing K348,000.
The court heard through state prosecutor Sergeant John Makawa that the master-minder Chidule was once given suspended sentence and is now serving a 13-year jail term which was ruled on August 11, 2022 for breaking into Dalitso Cottage on the night of August 1, 2022 and going away with a plasma TV.
Prosecutor Makawa said the convicts during the month of June this year, armed with panga knives, axes and screwdrivers, broke into a Rwandan businessman’s house at St. John’s DMI University.
They demanded him to surrender all cash made from that day’s sales while threatening to kill him.
The victim surrendered a sum of K240,000 cash. However, the convicts forced him to make a transaction of K108,000 he had in his phone to a number which beared Chidule’s name.
They also went away with two cellphones, Acer laptop, assorted beers and groceries.
The matter was reported at Mangochi Police Station who initiated investigations and the detectives arrested the first convict on August 10, 2022 through a call log which led them to Mulanje District where the other one was apprehended.
Appearing in court, both Chidule and Banda pleaded not guilty prompting the state to parade two witnesses who proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.
In mitigation, the duo asked for court’s leniency stating that they have family obligations.
In his submission, prosecutor Makawa reminded the court that the two are habitual criminals and behaviour of resistance to change is pathetic and cannot be tolerated in the society.
Passing sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Rodrick Michongwe expressed his concern over the duo’s behaviour.
He therefore sentenced each of them to 21-years imprisonment with hard labour.
Michongwe added that Chidule’s sentences will run consecutively.
Both convicts hail from Traditional Authority Mabuka in Mulanje District.
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Make sure that these rotten criminals die in prison. WE DON’T NEED THESE KIND OF PEOPLE IN SOCIETY.