The Chief Resident Magistrate court in Blantyre has sentenced Danfold Mustafa, 19, and Gift Mpatula, 21, to 4 years imprisonment with hard labour for breaking into a shop and stealing groceries.
Blantyre Police Station deputy spokesperson Sergeant Aubrey Singanyama said the court heard through state prosecutor Sub Inspector Mark Kanyinji that the two convicts, during the night of September 10, 2022, broke into a shop at Nthukwa area in Chilomoni Township.
Kanyinji said the two entered the shop through the roof after cutting some iron sheets before going away with assorted groceries.
The matter was reported at Chilomoni Police Sub-station where investigations led to the arrest of the two.
Appearing before court, the two pleaded guilty to a charge of breaking into a building and committing a felony therein.
In mitigation, Mustafa and Mpatula asked for a lenient sentence observing that they are first offenders.
In his submission, Sub- Inspector Kanyinji prayed for a stiff sentence arguing that the two planned the offence since they had to cut the iron sheets of the shop to gain entry into the building and that they hired a motor vehicle to ferry the stolen goods.
Sub-Inspector Kanyinji further told the court that some of the stolen goods were never recovered.
Passing the sentence, Magistrate Akya Mwanyongo concurred with the state and therefore sentenced the two convicts to 4 years imprisonment with hard labour each.
Both convicts hail from Chibwana Village in the area of Traditional Authority Kapeni in Blantyre District.
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