Mr Obinna Madu, on Thursday told a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Wuse, Abuja, that he stole Origin bitters and Gordon’s alcoholic beverages due to delay in his salary payment.
The police charged Madu with criminal breach of trust and theft. He pleaded guilty.
“I have worked in Garden 22, Garki, Abuja for one month and two weeks but have not been paid my salary.
“I bought a phone at “Easy buy Shop, Abuja” for N150,000 to pay in instalments and had a deadline to complete the payment on Aug.29.
“I asked for my salary but was told that there was no money that was why I stole 11 bottles of Origin bitters, two bottles of Gordon’s and one bottle of Smirnoff X1.
“Please have mercy on me, I promise never to repeat it again,” Madu said.
The Magistrate, Mr Umar Dodo sentenced Madu to clean the court’s premises for one hour and ordered that the cell phone he bought from Easybuy, be seized from him until Sept.5.
Dodo said that the sentencing would serve as deterrence to other offenders and warned Madu to desist from committing crime and be of good behaviour.
Prosecution counsel, Chinenye Okafor told the court that the complainant and Manager of the garden, Samuel Okoronkwo reported the matter at Garki Police Station.
Okafor said that Madu stole 11 bottles of Origin bitters, two bottles of Gordon’s and one bottle of Smirnoff X1 alcoholic drinks valued N36, 500 on the said date.
The prosecution counsel added that during police investigations the drinks were recovered from Madu.
The offence, she said, contravened the provisions of section 312 and 289 of the Penal Code.
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At the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Offences Court sitting in Awka, Anambra, a 30-year-old scrap dealer, Kalu Iloh will cool his heels at a correctional facility.
Presiding Magistrate, Mrs U.E. Onochie, gave the order following Iloh’s arraignment on a one-count charge of defilement.
The defendant was on Thursday arraigned for allegedly defiling a 13-year-old girl with Down syndrome.
While the defendant pleaded guilty of the charge, the magistrate adjourned the case until Sept. 24 for sentencing.
The prosecutor, Insp Chinyere Okechukwu told the court that the defendant committed the offence on Aug. 13, at Nkpor in Idemili North Local Government Area.
“The 42-year-old mother of the 13-year-old victim reported a case of defilement at the police station.
“She said she came back from a business trip and noticed that her daughter was walking in an unusual manner.
“On enquiry, her daughter told her that the defendant barged into the bathroom while she was urinating, forcefully removed her clothing and had canal knowledge of her.
“After medical examination at the Ntasi Sexual Assault Referral Centre at General Hospital Enugu-Ukwu, a medical practitioner confirmed that the girl had been defiled,” she told the court.
Okechukwu said the offence contravened Sections 130(2) (a) (b) of the Administration Criminal Justice Law 2022. (NAN)
