THE Kitwe Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a 22-year-old man to two years imprisonment with hard labour for stealing four chickens from a chicken run.

Michael Mutale of Kamatipa Compound was convicted on a charge of breaking into a building and committing a felony therein contrary to the Laws of Zambia.
Allegations were that on July 8, 2018, in Kitwe, Mutale broke into Webster Ngoma’s chicken run and stole four chickens valued at K180.
Appearing before chief resident magistrate Yvonne Nalomba for plea, the accused pleaded guilty to the offence.
Mutale told the court that he broke into the chicken run around 01:00 hours and stole the four chickens, which he later sold.
Magistrate Nalomba said upon the accused’s own confession and admission of the facts brought before court, she had found him guilty of the offence and was convicting him accordingly.
In mitigation, Mutale begged for leniency as he was a first offender.
He told court that he had impregnated a girl who would suffer if he was locked up.
But magistrate Nalomba said the girl’s pregnancy was not a mitigating factor as he would not have gone stealing if he knew that he had impregnated someone’s child.
She said the girl’s suffering while Mutale was in prison would be the consequences of his bad behaviour and that there was need for a deterrent sentence.
Magistrate Nalomba sentenced Mutale to 24 months imprisonment with hard labour and that if he was not happy with the sentence he was free to appeal to a higher court within 14 days