The Senior Resident Magistrate Court in Chiradzulu has sentenced a 42-year-old ex-police officer to four years imprisonment with hard labour for burglary and theft.
Chiradzulu police public relations officer Constable Cosmas Kagulo has identified the ex-police officer as Mathews Kalima who committed the offence earlier this year.
According to Constable Kagulo, during the night of 15th February this year, the ex-police officer broke into a house of Levison Banda and stole different assorted items.
The court through state prosecutor Sub-Inspector Joseph Marko heard that on the material date, Banda and his relatives heard a sound from outside one of their houses.
They both got out for inspection where they found that a window was widely open and one glass was broken and upon entering the house, they found the convict trying to hide in a locker.
When the whole house was checked, it was 12 burglar bars were removed, while a 4 inches double mattress, 100 Watts solar panel, 2 car batteries, plasma screen, 2 electronic iron, radio and amplifier, all valued at K662 000.00, were missing.
Appearing before court, Kalima pleaded not guilty and argued that he was only seeking for shelter in the house which prompted the state to parade its witnesses who testified against the ex-police officer.
In his submission, state prosecutor Sub-Inspector Marko asked the court to give Kalima a stiff punishment for the convict was once a law enforcer who happened to be aware of the law.
Passing his sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Andrew M’manga sentenced Kalima to four years imprisonment with hard labour for the offence of burglary and 36 months for the offence of theft, sentences which will run concurrently.
Kalima hails from Lupanga village in the area of Traditional Authority Likoswe in Chiradzulu district.
In a related development, the same court has also convicted and sentenced a 28-year-old Dishoni Batoni, to 12 years imprisonment with hard labour for robbery.
The court through state prosecutor Inspector Spenard Chankoma heard that the convict robbed the motorbike worth K890,000 on 26th August 2022, after he posed as a customer and hired the victim to ferry him to a certain place.
On their way, the convict requested the owner Maxwell Ngwangwa to stop so that he should relieve himself and upon stopping, the convict produced a small hoe popularly known as Kasemasema and attacked Ngwangwa.
The convict had been on the run since he committed the offence till mid-January this year when he was arrested by Criminal Investigations Officers.
Appearing before court, Batoni pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbery which prompted the state to parade its witnesses who testified against him and was convicted accordingly.
In mitigation, Batoni asked for court’s leniency, stating that he is the first offender a factor which was objected by the state prosecutor Chankoma who prayed for a stiff punishment saying the convict wounded the victim severely.
Passing sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Win M’manga concurred with the state and sentenced the convict to 12 years imprisonment with hard labour to act as deterrent to other would-be offenders.
Dishoni Batoni hails from Kainja Village in the area of Traditional Authority Mkukula in Dowa District.
