A Kasama magistrate’s court has sentenced a burglar who also escaped lawful custody during trial to 11 years imprisonment with hard labour.
Delivering judgment, magistrate Kelvin Soma said felons like Yona Chisanga of Chiba village needed long custodial sentences as citizens needed quiet enjoyment of their dwellings without the fear of intruders depriving them of material possessions.
Chisanga while acting with others already serving their sentences was behind a spate of burglaries in Kasama during which several homes were broken into. While acting with others, Chisanga got away with property ranging from cell phones, beddings, cutlery and pots before being arrested while attempting to sell the stolen items.
“You escaped from custody at the court grounds until you were recaptured in Chiba Village several months later and am happy this case did not die a natural death,” Mr Soma said.
Chisanga was convicted on two counts of burglary and theft for which he was sentenced to five years for each count. Mr Soma had earlier handed down a one year sentence for escaping lawful custody.
He ordered that the sentences run consecutively which meant Chisanga would spend a total of 11 years at Milima State Prison.
“We have to balance your interests as regards to your welfare and those of the public. The court has a duty to protect society from perpetrators of crime like yours that continue to inconvenience residents.
“What you deprived the complainants of are not simple properties. It had taken them years to acquire those material possessions,” Mr Soma said.
Mr Soma reminded Chisanga that he was not born a criminal but just acquired bad attitudes along the way and as such, the 11 years he had been sentenced to was sufficiently long to allow him to reflect on his habits.
In Kasama tatwiba…..tutolafye. We do not escape …tufyukafye.
While the sentence is harsh, its true that chisanga was not born a criminal but just acquired those terrible habits just like gays and lesbians.
Mbala Mafias
Bamufyanta kapuli!
Ba Lusaka Times please report correctly…….The burglar is YONA HACHISANGA.
YOU MADE MY DAY MR. WATCHMAN
Added 1yr with hard labour hahahahahahah should learn to acquire items normally and faithfully.Try to escape again if you can you will meet at the high court were am facing other charges of forgery.
Stealing is costly, its better to just a paper and start working at least when found nika 1 yr chabe,,,,,,even when the copany has lost billions of money paying a salary you are not supposd to get
mwangufyanyeko na sentence yaba Bwezani.
Balikakwa kale ….ni formality chabe.
One wonders why a man would choose to break into other people’s homes as a way of earning a living. I have seen men of all sorts engage in strenuous activities such as charcoal burning, farming and building all because they want to put food on the table. There is no excuse, therefore, for anybody to engage in criminal activities as a means of survival
Just like i would wonder why someone would forge papers instead of studying for them.
Some of the magistrate’s remarks make it look like he was emotional and angry thus handing out such a harsh sentence. Eleven-year sentence is too harsh and does not help the convict to reform.
You are right London Eye. People are actually living in fear of cadres-with-machetes and none can be sentenced to anything as long as this.
You have never experienced the pain of being robbed by these rascals! Surely the courts have a duty to protect some of us who work so hard and acquire expensive properties! surely the idiet deserved that. Well done Hon. Soma
Nnyaa. Ga ke dumelane.
Does our legal system have Public Defenders for those who cannot afford private lawyers?
Yes, there is Legal Aid Board which provides lawyers for poor chaps. I hope you are not one of them!