On Wednesday, the Lugbe Grade 1 Area Court in Abuja sentenced a 27-year-old labourer, Clinton Jonathan, to 14 months’ imprisonment for stealing an iron rod.

Mr Jonathan pleaded guilty to trespass, mischief, and theft charges.

The convict, after his guilty plea, asked the court for leniency.

The judge, Aliyu Kagarko, gave the convict an option of N35,000 fine.

The judge also advised Mr Jonathan to be of good behaviour and shun a life of crime after serving his jail term.

He said the punishment would have been stiffer if the convict had not saved the court from the rigour of protracted prosecution.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Olisaemeka Okeke, told the court that the complainant, Mr Nura Mohammed, of Dabo Estate, Life Camp, Abuja, reported the matter at the Life Camp Police Station on February 7.

Mr Okeke said the convict formed a criminal habit of trespassing into the complainant’s site and dishonestly vandalised his iron rod used in fencing the site.

He said the convict vandalised and stole the iron rods, which had a value yet to be determined and sold them to one Danja, surname unknown, and another person known as Yellow, all of Galadima, Abuja, now at large.

The prosecutor said during the police investigation, the convict made a confessional statement, and the offence contravened sections 342, 327 and 287 of the Penal Code. 

(NAN)