Ntchisi man jailed for 8 years after he burned his friend’s house

The Ntchisi First Grade Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a 21-year-old Malawian man to eight years imprisonment with hard labour for arson.

The court heard that Thokozani Paul during the evening of November 21 2015 at Chimbaka Village in the area of Traditional Authority Nthondo in Ntchisi wilfully and unlawfully set fire to a house of Winston
Njirisi, 39, of Chimbaka Village.

The court further heard that the complainant had a credit for the convict amounting to K2000 which was meant for buying a pail of maize. The complainant failed to give the convict a pail of maize and even giving him back K2000 which angered the convict.

Both the complainant and the convict went to the beer hall where the conflict emerged up to the complainant’s house. It was arround 7pm the convict left the complainant’s house and after half an hour the convict came back with intention to set the house with fire and this time the family of Njirisi was already asleep.

The family of the complainant were awakened by some people who said the blaze of flames from far behind and they managed to rescue one chitenje cloth and a net and some people followed the convict to his house and was arrested.

The convict pleaded guilty to the charge of arson contrary to Section 337 of the Penal Code.

In her ruling, First Grade Dorothy Kalua said the offence is serious and the offender deserve a stiff penalty.

She therefore sentenced him to 8 years imprisonment with hard labour to send as a caution to other would be offenders.

Paul comes from Mdaopamudzi in the area of Traditional Authority Nthondo in Ntchisi.