A Dei-Dei area court, Abuja, on Monday, sentenced a 34-year-old driver, Habib Dada, to six months imprisonment, for stealing N13,250 belonging to a suspect in police detention.
Dada, of Guzape, Asokoro village, Abuja, pleaded guilty to escaping from lawful custody and theft and begged for leniency.
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The Judge, Mr Sulyman Ola, however, gave the convict an option to pay a fine of N40,000 for the two-count charge and warned him to desist from committing crime.
Mr Ola ordered the convict to pay the N13,200, belonging to his fellow detainee which he stole from police counter.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Chinedu Ogada, told the court that the accused was in detention in the cell at the Efab Estate police station on April 29, in connection with a case of gym equipment, iPhone and car battery theft.
Ogada said a police officer opened the cell and brought out two suspects, and that the accused used the opportunity and smartly moved from the cell to the counter, where he stole the money and escaped from custody.
The prosecutor said he was later tracked down and re-arrested by the police.
Meanwhile, the court, in a separate case, also sentenced him to another nine months imprisonment for stealing his employer’s gym equipment.
He pleaded guilty to criminal breach of trust and theft and begged the court for leniency.
The judge, Mr Sulyman Ola, gave Dada an option to pay a fine of N25,000 and ordered him to pay N520,000 as compensation to the complainant.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Mr Chinedu Ogada, told the court that the complainant, Kenny Umeyi, reported the matter at the Efab police station on April 27, that the accused who was his driver stole his three gym equipment worth N500,000, one iPhone Max 10 valued at N80,000 and one car battery valued at N20,000.
The prosecutor added that during police investigation, the convict made a confessional statement admitting to the crime. (NAN)
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