By MARISA MWAPE –
A KITWE magistrate’s court has sentenced two youths to five years imprisonment each for stealing a motor vehicle at a funeral house.
Senior resident magistrate Daniel Musonda jailed Fred Tembo, 20, and Rabson Chishala, 21, after finding them guilty of stealing a Toyota Spacio valued at K30, 000.
Tembo and Chishala were charged with theft of a motor vehicle after they stole the vehicle, registration number ADC 8621 belonging to Musonda Chabala on June 3 this year which was parked at a funeral house.
Mr Chabala had complained that while at a friend’s funeral, he could not locate the vehicle from where he had parked it and had no idea who had taken it.
In delivering Judgment, Mr Musonda said the prosecution had managed to establish a case against the two.
Mr Musonda was satisfied that the vehicle was taken by the two accused persons.
“I am satisfied that the motor vehicle belonging to Mr Chabala was taken by the two accused and if Chishala had planned to take back the vehicle to the owner why did he remove the number plates and why were the car keys found in Tembo’s shorts,” he said.
One of the witnesses, Charles Mulenga had testified that on the material day, around 21:00 hours, he was at a funeral house when Mr Chabala asked for help in finding his motor vehicle which had gone missing.
Mr Mulenga testified that he asked Mr Chabala to spend the night at the funeral house and that they would look for the vehicle the following morning.
The court heard that after some time, the two accused persons went to the funeral house and asked Mr Mulenga if anyone was looking for a stolen car and that was how they were detained.
While in custody, Tembo’s mother found a car key in her son’s shorts which she took to the police station and following investigations, the car was found abandoned in the bush near Buchi Township without its number plates and had no fuel.