Man bolts from court after given 11 years jail term for robbery: Re-arrested

There was drama on Wednesday morning at Balaka Second Grade Magistrate Court when a 34-year old convict bolted from court after being sentenced to 11 years for breaking into the workshop and stole a cash chest containing K60, 000.00  and a separate  K6, 000 cash and a radio.

Balaka police spokesperson sub inspector Joseph Sauka told Nyasa Times that the convict Bashiru Adamu was caught and re-arrested after a few minute cat-and-mouse chase by the police officers and court marshals.

During the court hearing earlier in the day, Police Prosecutor Sergeant Yohane Chaomba told the court that Adamu and three others who are at large tied up the guards who were on duty before breaking into the workshop in February and took away the cash chest and  a radio.

He said, the suspects who were using a Toyota Corolla Registration number SA 4363 failed to open the cash chest and damped it within the campus.

“Later the vehicle stuck in the mud and the suspects escaped leaving the vehicle and only went away with K6, 000.00 cash and a radio,” said Chaomba.

After investigations, Chaomba said, police recovered the vehicle. Then after a day, the suspect Bashiru Adam went to Eastern Region Police Headquarters where he reported that his vehicle Toyota Corolla Registration number SA 4363 has been stolen by unknown criminals.

But upon investigations Police discovered that Bashiru Adam was one of the criminals and recovered the vehicle documents which were removed from the vehicle with him and later charged him with the offence of Robbery with Violence contrary to section 301 of the penal code.

The suspect pleaded not guilty to the offence but the court found him with a case to answer basing on the evidence tendered by the Police.

In mitigation Adam asked for forgiveness saying that he has a family to look after but Police Prosecutor Sergeant Chaomba quashed aside his mitigation factor saying that the offence committed is a serious one and that the suspect was supposed to know that he has a family to look after before committing the offence.

He therefore and asked the court to give him a stiffer sentence so that it should be a lesson to him and would be offenders.

Passing judgement, Second Grade Magistrate Maxwell Boaz concurred with the state that the offence committed is a serious one and that the suspect was supposed to know his responsibility before committing the offence and then sentenced him to 11 years 6 months imprisonment with hard labour.

He also ordered that the vehicle which was used in the robbery be sold on auction and the money should be deposited to Government account. He said he has given him such a sentence so that it should be a lesson to him and would be offenders.

Bashiru Adam comes from Dailesi village, Traditional Authority Kalembo in Balaka district but was residing in Blantyre.

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