A 41-YEAR-OLD homeless man was yesterday sentenced to a mandatory 10-year jail term by a Harare magistrate after he pleaded guilty to cutting Telone dropping cables in Warren Park.
BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
Robert Nyirongo, who appeared before magistrate Josephine Sande said that he committed the offence to fend for himself, as he is unemployed and had no other means of survival.
Sande could not suspend part of the sentence as he is a first offender due to the charge which falls under mandatory sentence.
The court heard that on March 22, Witnesses Zvenyika Kazingizi, Patrick Kwambana and Simon Murambatsvina were on their duty of monitoring cables along 6th Street in Warren Park, where they came across Nyirongo cutting laid cables in the ground.
The witnesses armbushed Nyirongo giving him ample time to accomplish his mission and the accused then removed the drop cables from the ground and put them in a sack.
After putting the copper cables in a sack Nyirongo left the scene and Kazingizi ordered him to stop and he ran away.
The three gave chase and apprehended him.
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About 92 metres of drop cables were recovered from the convict.
The value of the stolen drop cable recovered is $105.
Francisca Mukumbiri appeared for the State.
