THE NDOLA High Court has slapped 15-year jail terms with hard labour on two men for stealing a phone and a wallet containing k350.
27-year-old Jeremiah Phiri and his colleague Joseph Sikazwe age 24 Kabushi Township in Ndola were convicted with aggravated robbery.
It was alleged that the duo together did steal a cell phone, wallet containing K350 altogether valued at K2, 000, property of Bwalya Mukonda and immediately or after did use violence to obtain the same.
The court heard Mukonda on the fateful day was with a female friend but as they stopped to look for a taxi, six men approached them and started beating him while his friend was pushed to the other side of the road.
As they beat him and got his property, the men accused Mukonda of having spilled their beer.
In mitigation, the two convicts told the court that they both were fathers with a child each and that they remorseful for their actions.
However, in passing sentence Justice Mulenga said he had taken consideration of their mitigation, but that the offence committed was serious.
“The offence committed is prevalent in towns and townships where persons fitting of the ages of convicts are forming groups and attacking innocent people. Because of this conduct, rights and freedom of movement of citizenry is being deprived,” he said.
He then sentenced both the convicts to 15 years imprisonment each with hard labour.
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